Waiting for Totsuka
by Arait
Summary: That day a girl came into the bar. What will happen when Yata is the only one there to greet her? Who would have thought a girl like Haruna, Emi - who's hero was Totsuka - could have such impact of the fate of three clans? Takes place before the anime.
1. Chapter 1

That day a girl came into the bar. Yata, Misaki was the guard on duty. Rather, the bar Homra did not actually have a guard, but with no one else around to protect the small child who lived upstairs, Yata preferred to think of himself as a guard over a baby-sitter. Anna was precious to all of them.

This girl was not someone who Yata recognized. It was not Awashima, Seri, the Lieutenant of Homra's rivals Scepter 4, who sometimes came to enjoy a cocktail at the bar. Neither was it Anna's aunt Honami who used to come by on occasion. She was younger than either of those women, too young to step through the front door of a bar in a bad neighborhood. _Peachy,_ was the first word to come to the teenage boy in order to describe her appearance. From the slight flush of pink on her fair skin, to the shade of her hair that lay gently on her shoulders, the girl was the colors of a peach.

Yata's imagination even went as far as to think she seemed soft and sweet like such a fruit. By the time he realized that was an awkward comparison, he had been staring at her in silence already for a while. She shifted uncomfortably in the doorway, expressing subtly that the young miss was not at ease with the setting or the welcome she received. Instantly, Yata's mind began to race, searching for the right words to improve the situation.

He thought back to what he had heard the bar's owner—Kusanagi, Izumo—say numerous times when customers came in. That man had a way of talking to ladies that put them at ease right away. On one occasion he had forced Yata and some of the other members of Homra to wait on clients as some sort of compensation for the trouble they caused. Now, as the sole guardian present, Yata wished an enemy had come instead of a girl. _What had Kusanagi-san taught them in training that time, anyways?_ He could hardly recall the words, much less repeat them.

When his hands started to feel clammy, he balled them into fists to restore his determination. This was only becoming more awkward. Whoever this girl was, Kusanagi would be upset if he chased her off by acting weird. Deciding he should at least welcome her, the boy bowed low and tried to speak. The first sound to come out of his mouth more closely resembled a croak than a word. Heat rushed to his face in embarrassment so strongly that Yata himself could tell he had turned bright red.

Eyes to the floor, he tried not to look at the girl as sweat broke out on his brow. "I—i—ira—irassh," he stumbled helplessly over the phrase.

Before he could finish the greeting, 'Irasshaimase,' a child came down the stairs into the main room. It was impossible to tell if Anna had known about their visitor previously or not. Her face would show neither prior knowledge nor surprise. Yata did not even notice her presence as she silently crossed the bar to look up at the newcomer.

Tilting her head to the side, Anna blinked twice and then asked, "Do you want something?" The words came out sounding icy and a little lifeless. It certainly was a far cry from impeccable customer service. Still, somehow the young lady in the doorway understood that their intentions were kind.

She put her hands on her knees to lean closer to Anna's height when she answered, "I was hoping to find Totsuka-san. Do you know him?"

"Totsuka-san," Yata repeated, unnoticed, in the background. Her voice was as gentle as he guessed it would be. He could easily picture her standing next to the boy she came to see. Totsuka, Tatara was very much like her in many ways, at least at first glance. _Is she his sister?_ Yata wondered, but he immediately corrected himself. If that were the case, she wouldn't call him by his last name. Then, how was it he had never told anyone about knowing her?

Anna's response was equally as cold as the last, "He went shopping." At that, she walked off, leaving no room for further questions. For that reason, the visitor once again turned all of her attention to Yata, who seemed startled that her eyes fell back to him.

"Will Totsuka-san be back soon?" She wondered pleasantly.

"Yes, Ma'am," Yata snapped in reply instantly. After considering what she had actually asked, though, he continued with far less confidence, "Maybe…I'm not sure."

Another tense silence followed while they each tried to estimate how long Totsuka would be gone. In a panic, Yata blurted out, "Would you like to take a seat?" He had felt they would all be more comfortable with the situation if she wasn't standing awkwardly in the doorway. As he watched her accept his shouted offer with a smile and move toward the sofa along the side wall, however, he realized that would only prolong their dysfunctional encounter. She lightly brushed aside the skirt of her sundress and settled in across from where Anna had sat down with a set of red marbles. The visitor would assume she was playing with them, but the child was most likely trying to locate Totsuka in order to accurately calculate his arrival time.

The air in the bar hung more heavily than usual, which was saying a lot for a typically smoky environment. Yata could feel it weighing him down with the anxiety and regret over being the only person to take care of things at the bar. When Totsuka and Kusanagi had left earlier, the latter had asked if he could handle the responsibility alone.

Confidently, Yata had replied, "I can defeat anyone who dares step foot on Homra's territory!"

Kusanagi had looked at him then like that was an unreasonable answer, but Totsuka had brushed away his concern, reminding, "Don't worry. We'll be back before business hours start."

Thinking back on that conversation, Yata decided he understood what they meant as the minutes dragged by like hours. Hot, he pulled the beanie hat from his head, revealing his flattened, burnt orange head of hair. On the other hand, the slowly passing time didn't seem so stressful for the young lady. She was out of place still, but relatively content simply to watch the doll-like child play with her marbles in waiting.

Forever came and went before the front door of the bar opened again with the jingle of a small bell and the announcement, "Tadaima!" The one to come in was a tall, slender man with long, blond hair, surrounded by an obvious _bishounen_ aura. It was not the person they were waiting for. He glanced around the room and then approached the counter Yata had been hiding behind for the last 20 minutes.

Peeking curiously over the counter to see who had come in, the shorter boy cried so desperately it was obnoxious, "Kamamoto!"

"Who's she?" Kamamoto inquired, nodding his head in the direction of the young lady with a sickeningly sparkling smile.

Slamming a hand down on the counter, Yata grabbed Kamamoto's shirt in the other and pulled him into the safety of his hiding place. Immediately, he began questioning his newly arrived friend, "Who's she?"

"I just asked you that," the blond replied, slightly put off.

Yata's voice was a whisper as they consulted, crouching behind the bar, "She came to see Totsuka-san. She's just sitting there. I don't know what to do."

In order to get a better look at the scene he hadn't fully analyzed originally, Kamamoto dared brave glancing out at the girl, acting like it was as risky as a war zone. Seeing the bored look on her sweet face and the complete lack of service rendered her, the man thought he had a full grasp on the situation. He likely also had a solution.

Ducking back into their fortress, Kamamoto asked, "Did you try serving her?"

"Serving her what?" Yata demanded, frustration in his voice showing that his first impression of the word was to be a slave.

"A drink," Kamamoto suggested like it was obvious.

In shock, Yata replied far too loudly, "She's underage!"

Hushing him with a series of hisses, the blond assured, "Not alcohol, Yata-san. Watch." At that, he stood to his feet, taking a menu from a drawer, and approached the lady.

"Welcome to Homra," he began, bowing with his polite greeting. "My name is Kamamoto, Rizio. May I ask yours?"

"Haruna, Emi," the girl responded, saying no more or no less than she was asked. Even so, the expression on her face clearly said she enjoyed his approach better than Yata's.

Kamamoto extended the menu out to her, continuing apologetically, "We realize, as this is a bar, there may not be a lot that appeals to you here, but we hope to do everything possible to make your wait more pleasant."

"Thank you," she replied. After taking a moment to look over the options, she made her request in a small, tender voice that could not be heard from across the room. Having taken down the notes of her order, Kamamoto returned to the bar to grab her a soda and handed the name of the meal to Yata—who at least had the courage to stand up to watch.

Taking one look at the words written, the short boy shouted at his friend, "Eh? Who do you think I am, a five star chef? I don't know how to cook curried swordfish! Why do I have to cook it anyways? You cook it!" He shoved the piece of paper at Kamamoto's chest.

The taller boy just stepped away, having found where the glasses were and now searching for ice. "I'm busy," he excused. "Besides, you're a good cook."

"Fried rice!" Exponentially louder than his partner, Yata reminded, "I can make fried rice! Not this uppity—"

Carried away by the rising emotions, Kamamoto interrupted furiously, "That was not fried—"

A soft voice came from the other side of the bar, putting an end to their budding argument, "Fried rice is fine." Emi was looking over at them with a pleasant smile.

Realizing that they had been fighting in front of their female guest, both boys froze. In silence, Kamamoto continued to prepare the beverage while Yata—redder than their King's hair—turned around like a robot and began to search for cooking materials.

Emi, having seen Anna nearly smiled at the boys' antics, addressed the little girl. "Your brothers are funny," she stated with a tiny giggle.

For just a second, the child looked up from her marbles on the table between them. As if the fact were obvious, Anna corrected, "They aren't my brothers."

That quickly, she turned back to her game. Emi didn't understand the rules; she didn't even understand what made the glass balls roll in circles. The girl never touched them, yet they kept moving around. Thinking she might be able to start a conversation if the topic was something that interested Anna, she asked about the marbles.

"How do you play the game?"

"It's not a game," the child answered brusquely. Even sounding rude at first glance, somehow the blunt shut-down didn't seem offensive.

It takes about half an hour to make fried rice. Therefore, once Kamamoto delivered the lady her soda, the bar was once again reduced to silence while they waited for Yata to finish cooking. Once the sounds of sizzling began, another tall figure appeared at the base of the stairs with spiky, red hair and a leather jacket. He was preceded by an imposing vibe and glanced apathetically around the room. Taking notice of how everyone was unsettled, he directed a small, questioning grunt to the current chef.

Without waiting for the answer to his wordless inquiry, the oldest person in the bar lazily crossed the room and collapsed on the couch beside the youngest. He seemed mildly interested in who Anna was trying to find, looking over at her through one half-opened eye. Eventually, he stopped trying to figure it out and leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"Mikoto-san," Kamamoto began, but he couldn't manage to say more than just their leader's name.

"Hmm?" The redhead responded, hardly moving at all from his sprawled position.

"Have you been here this whole time?"

Mikoto answered in the affirmative with a tiny, "Mm." Not that it would have made a difference. He clearly wouldn't have improved the uncomfortable atmosphere by coming down right away. Now, his visual display of careless confidence was unnerving the timid girl even more. Her eyes were wide open and her hands tucked tightly between her knees to keep them from shaking.

"You're scaring her," Kamamoto pointed out.

Lifting his head, Mikoto raised an eyebrow at Emi as if to take a deeper look at the unexpected visitor. After the second glance, he had the same impression of her as with the first. Because of Kamamoto's suggestion, however, he nodded, thinking that served as both a greeting and an introduction.

Emi swallowed hard. Totally overwhelmed, she stood, announcing, "I guess I'll come back later." Having tried to speak with determination, she was surprised that it came out sounding so uncertain. Becoming dizzy, her knees wobbled, and she sat back down with Kamamoto's help, held captive by Mikoto's powerful aura. She was barely able to express her gratitude to her waiter for catching her before she went completely faint.

In shock, Yata shouted from across the room, "Wha—? Look what you did now!" Kamamoto rapidly tried to fan her back to consciousness. This was a common effect had on people in the presence of the red king, but today it was different. Even Mikoto and Anna were moved enough to lean forward in their chairs when Yata finished, "What if Totsuka-san comes back right now and sees her that way?"

For the third time a bell jingled at the front door as another tall blond and an average looking young man entered the bar. "What if Totsuka-san comes right now and sees what?" The latter asked, referring to himself in the third person with his head tilted to the side.

A morbid fear of being in trouble came over Yata who knew he had messed up several times since the beginning. Kamamoto was also worried because of the current state of their visitor. That apprehensive feeling in the air carried all the way to the front door, catching the attention of the blond man, Kusanagi, the bar's owner.

Suspecting they had broken something valuable, he asked through narrowed eyes, "What happened here?"

Everyone remained silent, frozen, refusing to incriminate themselves—Yata with his hand on the spatula in the frying pan, Kamamoto mid-wave in the fanning process. Unsure where to start searching for the hidden problem, Totsuka walked towards the greater concentration of people. As he neared the couch shared by Mikoto and Anna, he was halted by a startling sight across from them.

"Emi-chan!" He exclaimed in surprise at the unconscious girl laying there. Then, looking back to Kusanagi, he wondered, "Are we that late?"

With a hint of curiosity, Mikoto looked up at one of his longest companions. "You know her?"

"Yes, I do," Totsuka answered. "I asked her to meet me here today."

"Hmm," the red king acknowledged the statement with only a short, humming noise like he was thinking of something.

Knowing there was more to be said than that, Totsuka smiled warmly and inquired in his seemingly harmless voice, "Why do you ask, King?"

Gruffly, Mikoto uttered, "Sorry." It took everyone by surprise, but they didn't have to probe to get an explanation. After a pause, he concluded, "For scaring her."

"It's all right," the boy she had been waiting for assured, appearing sincerely amused in a subtle way. "That happens to everyone at first, doesn't it? It means you impressed her."

* * *

I want to take a moment to thank everyone for reading this story. As always, I don't own any of the characters from K, but I really do enjoy seeing them back when they were happy. Don't worry; Totsuka will actually be in the next chapter! See you soon.

~Arait


	2. Chapter 2

_Hooray! I had so much interest in this story that I hurried to get the next part up...or maybe it's just because I'm having fun with this story. :) Thank you, everyone, for reading this. I don't really have much to say here, but since everyone does, I thought maybe I should to. So, without further ado, proceed to introductions!_

* * *

As the day progressed, the rest of the members of the gang who called Homra their second home slowly made their appearance. Kamamoto had the chance to retell the story several times, always forcing Yata to describe events he himself had not been eyewitness to. Each new person to enter asked the same question: who was this girl they'd never met? Before long, everyone knew the story well enough that just about any of them could retell it.

When two more boys showed up—one in a ball cap, the other with a derby hat—immediately asking the same thing, a curly haired brunette wasted no time responding, "That's Haruna, Emi, Totsuka-san's girlfriend."

Even though the bar had become quite rowdy by that time, everyone stopped abruptly, turning to attentively observe Totsuka's reaction. The accused tried his hardest not to be intimidated by the dozens of eyes burning questions into his soul. He very well may have just been caught. A guilty smile began to spread across his face, unable to keep it hidden. Fortunately for him, a room full of loud mouths couldn't keep quiet long enough to wait for an answer.

"Chitose-san," someone scolded the accuser, "don't say things like that for no reason. Totsuka-san isn't like you."

That point having been brought out, some of the pressure was differed from the center of their attentions. An open discussion began, with each member of the group stating their personal opinion of who Emi was. They had completely abandoned the idea of asking the boy she had come to see, instead spouting third-hand facts and imagined possibilities as their evidence.

"He called her 'Emi-chan,'" Chitose presented his defense as to why he was certain they were dating, which happened to be an event he had not witnessed himself. "He clearly knows her well."

"She could be a relative," a Devil's advocate argued.

The group seemed evenly divided on the matter. Totsuka scratched his head, unable to hold back his grin that was now becoming one of embarrassment. How would he ever reveal the truth to them now? From behind the bar, Kusanagi gave the victim a knowing look of pity. He was well aware of the girl's identity and precisely how much she meant to Totsuka. After all, he had been there with them.

"I would know," Mikoto said. All respecting that their leader was voicing his opinion, the group instantly hushed to listen. After a long pause, he stated with such certainty that anyone who had formerly disagreed with him would feel like a fool, 'If Tatara had a girlfriend, I'd know her." It was difficult to tell if knowing such a thing really mattered to him or he was just wishing they would be quiet. He still sat in the same place on that couch, staring at her—either blankly or with deep concentration.

Yata basically cheered—while Totsuka swallowed back a laugh, unnoticed—and announced, "That's right! I knew Totsuka-san would never get a girlfriend without telling us!"

"King," the boy in question finally spoke for himself, addressing only what Mikoto had said, "you do know her."

Even though there was no verbal acknowledgement on his part, the redhead's frown deepened as if he had kind of suspected he knew her from somewhere.

"Well, if Mikoto knows her, she must be Totsuka's girlfriend," Kusanagi drawled teasingly as he dried out a shot glass. Basically, he was telling the boy to spit it out already.

Once again, all eyes fell on him, mouths agape and jaws dropped. In defense, Totsuka raised his arms, "Oi, I wouldn't say 'girlfriend.' We've only been getting to know each other for a short time."

'A short time' being so ambiguous, Chitose pried, "How did you two meet?"

"Well," Totsuka began, thinking back to the day it happened, "Five years ago—"

Unable to contain himself, Yata interrupted, "Five years isn't a short time!"

Chuckling at how badly this explanation was coming out so far, Kusanagi drilled his knuckles into the shorter teen's skull, ordering, "Just listen to the story."

Thoroughly reprimanded, Yata sat, quietly annoyed, while Totsuka recommenced, "Five years ago, before King got his powers, the three of us were eating lunch near the shopping center. I was walking in the street when this girl had her purse stolen. She shouted out, 'He took my purse!' and pointed to a nasty man with crooked teeth and a hood covering his face who was running off in a hurry."

A dark haired boy in glasses was hardly paying attention, 80% of his focus dedicated to some activity on his PDA. Still, he was listening well enough to scoff and mutter to himself, 'How did you know his teeth were crooked if the hood was covering his face?" Of course, Fushimi's criticism of the story was not said with adequate enthusiasm to interrupt the recounting of it.

Totsuka continued, "She was with a couple friends of hers, but they all seemed rather helpless against the robber, so I ran after him. I figured someone needed to. Somehow, the guy was much bigger than me once I caught up to him, and it was totally impossible for me to overpower him."

There was a collective sigh as the boy continued trying to describe his failing attempt to rescue the stolen purse. It was the kind of mishap that Totsuka typically got himself caught up in, allowing himself even to get beat up over the bag of a complete stranger.

"Apparently, Kusanagi-san must have been watching because he went and called King from inside who came to save me. He blew that guy out of water so easily! And then he shoved the purse in my arms with an irritated glare like, 'Did you really have to bother getting mixed up in this?'" Totsuka had exchanged his voice for a deeper one, but it really did neither Mikoto nor irritation much justice. "But I knew that was really the kind of thing he wanted to do."

"You're getting distracted," Kusanagi pointed out when he realized Totsuka was heading off on a tangent—one that he could go on for a long time.

"Right," he agreed, bringing himself back on topic. "The girl came up to us with her friends, holding a handkerchief to my face and fussing over my injuries. Even though King had saved her purse, she thought I was the hero somehow. Then, we all introduced ourselves, and…that's it."

Shocked, Yata came out of his stupor and demanded, "That's the end? You introduced yourself and then…?"

"We left," Totsuka clarified, verifying that it really was the end of that story.

In the background, Fushimi complained, "How anticlimactic."

"So, this is her," Mikoto understood, pointing to the sleeping girl like he did recognize her after all. Starting now to make connections, he added, "Then, last month, when you barged in, saying, 'King, guess who Kusanagi-san and I saw today,' that was her too?"

"Bingo," Totsuka congratulated. A second later, he chose to tell also that story, "Three weeks ago Kusanagi-san and I ran into her working at the convenience store. She remembered us, and we remembered her, which brought us to chat a little. She's working there all summer to help pay university expenses and so on…but there were other customers, so we left. Kusanagi-san gave me this look and said, 'If you were going to make a move, that was your chance.'"

"He had this unbelievably happy look on his face the whole time they were talking," Kusanagi added his input. "Then he just left like she was any other store employee. Wouldn't let me talk him into doing something about it, even if fate doesn't give you three chances."

"Later, King said something like, 'If you're going to go on and on talking about her, why don't you go talk _to_ her?' I thought about it for a while, and after two days, I went back to the store to ask her to eat with me. The date went well, and since then…well, here we are."

It all made sense to them then—how five years could be a short time, and why he hadn't told anyone yet. They seemed relieved to know he hadn't really been keeping secrets from them. Things weren't that serious yet. All questions having been answered, what remained was only to wait for her to regain consciousness. In the meantime, life gradually returned to that of a typical Saturday at Homra.

Evening approached, and one voice could be heard rising above the others at a card game that had been set up. "You cheated!" Yata accused, standing from his chair to strike a threatening pose to Chitose who was currently collecting a number of salt and pepper shakers that had been used as bids. Thankfully, no real customers were in at the time, or they would be deprived of seasonings. "Look, my hand clearly beats yours, but you talked me into folding."

"How is that cheating?" The current winner inquired, boasting his earnings that would later all be returned to the tables from which they had come.

"You can't bid that high when you have nothing in your hand!" Yata persisted, avenging his losses.

"What do you think 'bluffing' is?" A third player joined the dispute, all his emotions thoroughly concealed beneath a ball cap, a hood, and dark sunglasses.

"That costume of yours, Bandou, is not true bluffing," the boy across from him mentioned. He had hair that, by anyone's assumption, was modeled after Mikoto's style.

Trying to turn the conversation away from himself, Bandou glanced back and forth between Yata and Chitose who were still arguing. "Why did we let Yata-san play anyways?"

"Well," the other recalled, "he got all excited, saying, 'Saru and I used to play this game,' or something."

After pondering for a moment, they both determined a better source of blame, or at least clarification. "Fu-shi-mi-kun," Bandou drew out the name while they both glared his direction. The boy in glasses looked up to see what they wanted, so Bandou questioned, "Didn't you teach Yata-san the rules to the game?"

Fushimi sighed and looked away, scolding himself for having ever imagined they might be inviting him to join them. It wasn't like he _really_ wanted to play, anyhow. Telling himself this, he suppressed whatever emotion may have been surfacing with the more comfortable feeling of aggravation. Annoyed that they didn't want to play with him? That they bothered him with their question? That all they ever asked him about was Misaki? Any or all of the above; it didn't matter which he chose.

"I taught him, but he never remembers." By the way the response came out, the others both assumed the irritation was towards the thought of playing cards with his best friend. They shivered at his complete lack of interest and went right back to their game.

Totsuka watched this exchanged from where he stood and felt an immense sort of pity. None of the five people there had understood the true feelings behind each other's actions. If he were to step in and tell them all so, however, it would change nothing. Instead, he smiled, appearing to be amused, and then gazed out the window.

"Do you want to come watch the sunset, Anna?" He offered, warm, evening light casting a golden glow over his features. "The sky looks like it will be very red."

"Not tonight," the girl replied as if something prevented her from joining him in an activity she would enjoy very much. A second later, she explained, "She'll wake up soon."

Immediately, Totsuka also abandoned the fiery sky to join Mikoto and Anna in watching Emi. Standing right in front of the couch, he hovered over her face, impatiently waiting for her to awaken. It felt like it must have taken forever, but Anna's prediction came true. Pale, brown eyes opened slowly to the sight of dirty, blond hair and a black pendant dangling rather close to her in expectation.

"Good evening, Emi-chan," she was greeted by the person she had been waiting for all along.

"Totsuka-san," she replied, pleased to see him, even through the groggy confusion of sleep that still lingered. "Where are we?"

Taking her hand, he helped her sit up, reminding, "Homra. Remember I invited you here this evening?" Still holding her hand in his, he sat on a cushion of the sofa where she had previously been laying.

"Oh, yes," she agreed as events returned to her memory from before she passed out. "I was waiting for you." Even though her voice was too soft to be heard throughout the room, anticipation of her revival had drawn everyone to gather nearby. Noticing this, Emi commented, 'There are more people here now than before."

Totsuka nodded. "Unfortunately, had I been on time, I could have introduced you to everyone separately, as it should be. I got caught up buying ingredients for dinner tonight. Who have you met already?"

"Officially?" She glanced around the room, trying to recall who had introduced themselves. Pointing to only one person, she answered with a smile, "Kamamoto, Rikio-san. He is a friendly and helpful person. And, of course, Kusanagi-san also."

Knowing there were three other people she should have met, Totsuka frowned in their direction. Gesturing to one, he asked, "Wasn't Yata here the whole time?"

Emi did not deny it, responding, "Oh, is that his name? Poor boy."

"Poor boy?" Totsuka repeated, slightly confused.

Kamamoto explained for them both, "Yata-san couldn't introduce himself to a girl if he only had to read his name from a card."

Thankful for the explanation, Emi turned back to Yata. "Hajimemashite," she said politely as if they were meeting for the first time.

Redder than the sunset outside, Yata did his best to return the greeting. Totsuka did not force him to suffer for long, though, proceeding to their leader, "Do you remember Suoh, Mikoto-san?"

Just looking at the man made her pale and feel dizzy. He wasn't even acting as sure of himself anymore, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Totsuka's hand was comforting, though, and she squeezed it tighter to rebuild her fleeting courage. If he was completely calm in the redhead's presence, she should be able to also.

"He's…ch-changed a lot since that day." After stuttering somewhat, Emi pulled herself together faster than Yata could. Still, it was said in a whisper, like a secret that shouldn't be shared with the man only five feet from her.

"We all have, haven't we?" Totsuka replied as if he becoming the king of a group of people with fire-related super powers was as minor as the change in Mikoto's haircut since five years ago.

All the man said was, "Yo." Still, his deep voice sent such a shiver down her spine that she froze in fear. Her eyes were wide open and dazed. Totsuka took note of this and laughed consolingly.

"Don't worry," he explained, seeming to know exactly what she was afraid for, "the reason he's so strong is to protect those close to him, just like that day I tried to save your purse. Why do you think all these people gather around someone so scary looking?"

"Huh?" Mikoto wondered if that had been an insult or a compliment. Saying things like that would usually result in Totsuka getting his head crushed, but since his girlfriend was there, Mikoto let it slide, instead settling further into the sofa.

"No offense, King," the younger boy excused affectionately with a grin.

"King?" Emi repeated the term of endearment that Totsuka had used for so many years it just came out naturally. She thought it was strange.

"Well, he is kind of our leader," he replied vaguely. Then, before he might be forced to reveal the details of mysterious subjects such as Dresden Slates, and Swords of Damocles, and the sources of extraordinary fire powers, Totsuka gestured to a small girl in a frilly red dress with a matching hat. "This is Kushina, Anna. She actually just moved in to a bedroom upstairs, making her the newest member of our group."

"Hi," Anna said shortly. It was pleasant but cold, as if a sense of formality obligated her to even say that much.

Emi's first inclination was to contest that it was inappropriate for a young child to hang out with a bunch of guys in a bar. On the other hand, she seemed so very much alike Mikoto that there hardly seemed a better place for her. Both of them were definitely keeping something huge locked up inside.

Moving on to the other people in the bar, Totsuka stated, "By the door is Fushimi, Saruhiko. He's pretty reserved around people he isn't familiar with, but he's really great with electronics, and research, and stuff like that. And he knows the answer to basically any question you can think of."

Fushimi stared at them, bewildered. Never had he, in his entire life, been presented in such a way. Startled by it, he fumbled for a moment over words to say back.

"Er, uh…hey." He eventually decided on that. It sounded dumb, but once it came out, he couldn't take it back. For goodness sake, why did Totsuka have to say such strange things?

They did not linger long on the blunder, though, as Totsuka continued down the list. Pointing to the teen with the same hairstyle as Mikoto, he introduced, "Fujishima, Kousuke is a very polite and calm person. You two would probably get along. He is also very caring, especially towards animals, and sometimes brings them home with him until we can find them a new home.

"Those two sitting at the bar are Chitose, Yo and Dewa, Masaomi," Totsuka next explained. They both waved lazily, so she would know for sure who was being introduced. "They have been friends forever, even though they are complete opposites. Chitose is very outgoing, especially toward girls, while Dewa is composed and serious. And last is Badou, Saburouta. Could you at least show your face for a second?"

According to the request, Bandou pulled back his hood, removed the ball cap, and took off the dark sunglasses. "Hello, Miss," he said with a tiny bow. The boy revealed was not at all unattractive—aside from the obvious hat hair—and Emi couldn't help but wonder why he would keep all his features hidden.

"So that's everybody," Totsuka concluded, feeling more stress about the introductions than he would have expected. As one short summary of the whole event, he said, "Everyone, this is Emi-chan. Emi-chan, this is Homra!"

If you compared his excited exclamation to Yata's "indoor voice," it would sound like a whisper, yet Totsuka was basically shouting when measured against Emi's tiny comment, "I will do my best to remember your names."

Calming her down with just one look, Totsuka assured, "You will have plenty of time to get to know them, but right now, I think we're all hungry. I planned a special meal that will help you learn more about Homra." Standing up, he let go of her hand for the first time. Before he left her to cook, however, he glanced back and mentioned light-heartedly, "So pay attention."

The appetizers did not need to be cooked, and so they helped stave everyone's hunger while Totsuka prepared the main dish. The options served were chips and a variety of red salsas spanning from sweet to rip-your-tongue-out spicy. The boys all passed their time seeing who could eat the most of the hottest one without crying, but there were plenty of screams from those who couldn't handle it. The girls, however, simply contented themselves with the mild sauce, observing the delirium with the slightest curiosity as to how hot the sauce might actually be.

Totsuka soon came over with two sparkling, red drinks. Before delivering them, he asked Emi, "What do you think?" It was a vague question, but he only wanted to know what might be on her mind at the instant.

She glanced at all the ones who had gathered by the spicy sauce and quietly replied, "Silly boys."

Amidst the racket they were making, somehow Yata overheard her comment and butted into their conversation, "What did you say? Do you think you could do better?"

As if seeking guidance from the one who had provided the food, she looked questioningly to Totsuka. He shrugged and laughed, seeming frightened of the hottest flavor himself. Setting the drinks down before the two girls, he grabbed a chip with a scoop full of the medium salsa.

"There's a reason I got three varieties." That was the only input she would get from him, but he lingered around to see what her decision would be.

Through watery eyes and burnt lips, the boys who could still talk goaded her on. Fujishima, Dewa, and Kamamoto had long since been defeated by the sauce, and they sprawled or slumped on the floor, waiting for Kusanagi to bring them the requested ice cubes. With Yata and Chitose so keen on the idea of having Emi try it out, Bandou also got carried away cheering for her. Not that any of their three runny-nosed faces truly encouraged her it was safe to try.

Still, Emi turned to Anna, offering, "I'll try it if you will."

The little girl looked up from watching the bubbles float through her new beverage with some little excitement. She had been wanting to taste the red sauce also but was too afraid to do it on her own. Anna nodded once in agreement, which brought a shout of glee from Yata and Chitose.

"It wouldn't be right…to let Anna…eat that," Fushimi muttered, leaning against the wall like it was the only reason he could still stand. He too had tried the salsa—unwilling to be thought weaker than the others. When Yata had mockingly pointed out that he was crying from it, Fushimi had stubbornly stomped back to the bowl, taking a bigger portion to prove himself. In even worse shape after the second serving, he had taken a third, determined to conquer the food product. He lost that war, and was now panting and limp a short distance from the rest of the commotion.

No one paid heed to his warning, Chitose mentioning, "Anna knows what she's doing."

"She's probably stronger than you," Yata teased his friend.

A potential argument was put on hold as Emi took half a chip. Coating it with a reasonable amount of the hottest sauce, she put the whole thing in her mouth at once. All eyes watched attentively for her reaction. Emi swallowed with difficulty. A single tear fell down her cheek through lightly closed eyes as she held her breath, trying to contain an unattractive reaction.

After a moment, she sighed, smiled, and said, "It's good." There was, however, a layer of sweat on her brow, and her voice had come out weaker than normal.

"So graceful," Chitose marveled.

Knowing it was now her turn, Anna passed the same offer down to Mikoto, "I'll do it if you do."

She really had no right to make such a deal, seeing as she was already obligated to taste some. Still, their leader sighed hoarsely, making a sound that nearly resembled a growl. Since it seemed he had agreed, Anna fulfilled her vow. With a small chip, she dipped the corner in the salsa only the tiniest bit—in spite of Fushimi's warning. The taste seemed to surprise her, but she said nothing.

Disappointed by how little she had taken, Mikoto passed up the chips entirely. Reaching across the table without leaving his spot on the couch, he simply dunked his finger in the bowl and brought it back to his mouth. He frowned and grumbled, but it appeared to affect him least of all.

"Now you're the only one who hasn't tried it," he reminded Totsuka, who had yet to return to his cooking.

The boy laughed. "There's a good reason for that." Changing the subject before he could be pressured into something he would regret, Totsuka described, "The drink before you is called, 'Shirley Temple,' named for a famous, American actress. It's made from lemon-lime soda, grenadine, and a cherry. Everyone is free to have one on request, but it was definitely special for you two."

Emi took a sip and said the same thing as upon tasting the salsa: "It's good." This time she was sincere.

Anna struggled for quite a while fishing the cherry out of the bottom. After eating it, her eyes lit up just a little and she made a rare request. "Tatara, can I have more cherries?"

"Of course," Totsuka agreed, disappearing to fetch more and finish cooking.

The entree of the soiree was lasagna. Everyone enjoyed the foreign treat full of cheese and tomato sauce. Afterwards, they had watermelon as dessert. Once the mess from dinner was all cleaned up, Totsuka came back and sat on the couch next to where Emi had spent her visit.

"Could you figure it out?" He inquired hopefully. "What did this meal say about us?"

Emi considered this thoughtfully, running through her mind all the details of every food they ate that night, searching for connections. Answering like she had pondered her response for a long time, she guessed, "You are all very lucky?" She was greeted by a room full of blank stares, many of them having no clue where the connection was. Seeing this, she justified, "Well…everything was red, you see? So I thought, traditionally red is the Chinese symbol for luck and prosperity, but it would be rude to say, 'It means you are all very wealthy.'"

With an encouraging smile, Totsuka reassured, "You're on the right track, at least."

"Something else that red symbolizes," she said to herself, thinking deeply.

Fushimi gave her a hint, mumbling, "You're thinking too much. They aren't that clever."

"Just red? What importance could a simple color—" Still thinking too hard, Emi stopped abruptly and looked around at the boys watching her. Hoods, chains, ball caps, long jackets, baggy pants, and an overall imposing, group mentality. "Is that like…your 'gang color'?" She asked, suddenly nervous.

"Something like that," Totsuka agreed, laughing to lighten the mood.

The night progressed this way until it became late. Then, it was time to go. Totsuka offered to walk her home because the neighborhood could be dangerous in the dark. Sighing like he was about to exert too much energy, Mikoto stood and accompanied them. If anything bad really did happen, Totsuka would need saved himself. Right as they reached the door to the bar, Emi stopped. Turning around to face the others, she bowed to thank Kusanagi and said bye to everyone else.

Once they reached her apartment building, she left them on the sidewalk, asking that they stay there until she turned the light on in her room. That would be visible proof that she got in all right. Totsuka watched the window, while Mikoto leaned against a brick post, smoking.

"So you aren't going to tell her, huh?" The redhead asked between drags of toxic air.

"Tell her what?" Totsuka replied in confusion, only taking his eyes off the building for a second.

Rather than answer that question with words, Mikoto stabbed a finger into the younger boy's forehead. It was no ordinary poke, however, causing a burning sensation to fill Totsuka's skull like a fever might.

Mikoto didn't pull away until Totsuka agreed, "Of course I'm going to tell her." Once he could address the matter calmly, he added, "I just thought it would be too much for one night. All of you can be a lot to handle without adding color-coded kings with super powers to the story. I'll find a time to mention it."

The elder laughed once, seemingly in disbelief that Totsuka's earnest intentions would ever be accomplished. "Honesty—" he began, as if to say something rare and wise. At that moment, the light flashed on. Totsuka pointed it out, and they turned to leave.

A few moments later, Totsuka remembered the comment that had almost been made and prompted his friend, "Honesty?"

"Hn," was the only response the short-winded man would give. He must have decided against giving the bit of advice. After all, anything like, _Telling the truth only happens when you don't keep secrets from the start,_ would come across as hypocritical coming from either of those two boys. There would be more than one thing that Totsuka would have difficulty revealing to a girlfriend. After a little while, he decided it would be better not to dwell on such thoughts. Quickening his pace to catch up to Mikoto, he tried instead to remember all the words to the song he had stuck in his head.


	3. A Package for Mikoto by K

**_Good evening my beloved readers! So, originally, I had absolutely no intention of taking this story beyond a couple scenes of Totsuka introducing his girlfriend and one dinner or two with the HOMRA boys, but alas! I have a very bad habit of being unable to prevent stories from developing plots. Therefore, with the help of my good friend Kateracks, we have created an idea that very well may turn into a novel in length. Please bear with us as summaries and ratings may change during this transition. The title, however, remains the same (Waiting for Totsuka) as well as the story, since no changes have been made to the first two chapters. (The exception to that being, I misspelled Rikio in chapter one. Very, very sorry die-hard fans!)_**

**_This chapter introduces to you an important, new character, as well as the beginning of conflict! Please enjoy. Also, chapters written by Kateracks will give due credit to her by mentioning in the chapter title, "By K."_**

**_Timeline hint: Several months have passed since Emi first came to Homra. The days grew shorter and nights grew colder. Kamamoto lost his bishounen charm as he began to look like a bear preparing for hibernation..._**

* * *

It was night. Not particularly dark or stormy, but there was a distinct chill creeping into the air, warning of the impending manifestation of winter. The city was more calm than its usual atmosphere as its citizens were all getting ready for bed and the steady flow of lights going out from block to block gave it a rather abandoned look. It is in a dead-end alley of one of these city blocks that we find the skateboarding captain of the Red Clan.

But contrary to the introduction, Yatagarasu was in no danger in this dark, lonely location. Nor was his back even against the wall. No, rather, he was facing the brick with a look of pure determination. He stood uncharacteristically silent for so long, just staring down the unmoving obstruction that, had any of his fellow clan members or some unfortunate passersby noticed him, they may have feared for the boy's sanity. But then, quite unexpectedly, he moved.

He jumped, in fact. He leapt upward and braced his sneakers against the brick above where he had just been looking; his hands came up and by his movements, it appeared as though he would scramble right up the surface. Or…he would have tried if there had been a place for him to grip.

"GAAAH!" ricocheted down the alley as the young pyro came crashing down flat on his back. Yata lay defeated, though not of his own volition, sucking in oxygen to replenish that which had been let out of his sails, as it were. Then, with a groan, he rolled onto his side and abruptly pounded the pavement with his fist.

"Damnit!" he growled and pushed himself into a slouched sitting position, elbows resting on his drawn up knees. He glared at the unfortunate mortar before him and demanded of it, "How the hell did she do that? It was like she was frickin' Spiderman or something."

"You know…" a voice addressed him from above and Yata shot to his feet, his head snapping skyward to seek out the source. It wasn't hard since the bright neon green of her wardrobe stuck out like a sore thumb in the dark shadows of the fire escape she observed him from. "If you wanted to learn how to parkour, you could have just asked me."

Yata let out a gruff "Tch". She leaned nonchalantly on the railing of the walkway and tilted her head in a way that resembled a tourist looking into the exhibit of a zoo animal. It became apparent by the faint smile on her face that, while she was looking down on him, she was also _looking down on him_ and that infuriated the young vanguard. Even so, he couldn't help getting flustered when her hair draped over her shoulder and the neon green in her choppy layers glowed like the lights on a runway, illuminating the way to where her top had slipped lower when she bent over.

"W-What m-makes you th-think I need _y-your_ help? I-I can figure it out just fine by myself!"

She straightened and turned her face up to the moonlight while she laughed at his expense. Then the next thing he knew, she climbed over the end of the railing, swung lithely to the lower level and slid down the ladder to where there was only a short drop to the concrete. Yata let his mouth open just a little at the ease and fluidity in the process. She just giggled.

"Yeah, you made that obvious in how you were going about it totally the wrong way. But it's alright. With some conditioning, you could almost be as good as Spidergirl." She smirked and jerked a thumb at herself which only made his frown return and deepen.

"I don't need conditioning!"

"A lil' bit," she reiterated, holding her thumb and forefinger pinched with a small space between them to emphasize her words. "Just a lil' bit."

"I can outmaneuver you any damn day! Just name a time and place and—"

"I think we already settled that, didn't we? You couldn't keep up. That's why you're sneaking around in the dark—practicing."

Yata sputtered since he knew she was right and didn't know how to retort to it. With her uncanny ability to climb and jump over any obstacle in her path, she had left him in the dust, even with the speed advantage of his skateboard. But he'd be damned if he'd admit that—_Or_ if he'd ask for her help.

"In your defense, you _were_ in _my_ clan's turf. I could have outrun you even if I was blind…maybe we'll test that next time."

Yata growled since he knew with her powers she could surely make that a reality. "Keep your handicap to yourself."

"I'm trying to be the bigger man here, dumbass. You're making it awfully hard. Let me change tactics—I'll try giving credit where it's due." She lifted a finger as if to pontificate what she was going to say as she held her elbow with her opposite hand and began walking a circle around him. "It's true, you're an exceptional fighter and with the added speed, coordination, and unexpected and misplaced grace of your unique weapon—"

"Misplaced?" Yata snapped, but she ignored his interruption.

"—You have an advantage over a noob. You wouldn't need much conditioning and you'd prolly catch on pretty quick."

"What the hell is conditioning, huh?" Yata demanded.

"Discipline. You lack it on so many levels." She grinned at his glare. "Your movements are erratic—whatever happens in your head at that exact moment."

"Are you stupid? That's what you do when you fight!"

She ignored his jab again, seeming as though she was giving a lecture to an empty room. "Think of it as a martial art. You don't just pick up a fighting style by waving your arms around. It's the same with parkour. It takes a lot of repetitious movements in practice to gain perfection. Then you reach a certain point where it becomes natural to make these kinds of movements and you even start thinking differently. You start seeing easier ways to get from one place to another that regular people don't."

"You make your own path," her audience translated. He didn't think he had ever seen someone talk so passionately about something. It was starting to draw him in.

She smiled and her focus returned to the alley they stood in. "Exactly. Instead of finding a way to get around an object, you use this special kind of strength that only you can define to find a way over or through it because it's shorter. So while _this_ won't work—" She gestured to his flat wall and then walked to the corner where the two buildings met and pointed at a drainpipe. "This will because you have something to hang onto."

As a demonstration, she gripped the pipe and braced her feet on either side. From there, she simply walked up the bricks—effortlessly, like she was merely scaling a steep set of stairs or ascending a ladder. Three-fourths of the way to the roof, she moved sideways to a window sill and then pulled herself to the overhang of brick where she could plant her feet and spring up to the next window up. She repeated the movement and was on the roof in no time at all from start to finish. She turned then and gave him a cocky smirk. Her heels on solid ground and her toes still hovering over empty space, she crouched and looked down on him once more.

"See what I mean, Wild Crow? You wanna catch me? You're gonna have to step up your game. Let me know if you decide you'd like another lesson. Oh, almost forgot…" She straightened and dug into the pocket of her pants, producing a small manila envelope. "Some reading material for Suoh Mikoto, courtesy of the Green King…He _can_ read, can't he?"

"What the hell did you just say about Mikoto-san?"

She laughed again, the crisp sound ringing against the walls around him and she winged the envelope across the space between the buildings like a Frisbee. It landed neatly on the fire escape far above his head. Great, now he'd have to find a way to get up there.

"Good luck!" she sing-songed. He didn't like the way her mocking tone was really starting to grind on his nerves, but when he turned to shout another warning at her, all he saw was her silhouette against the moonlit sky as she somersaulted out of sight.

The door to the bar HOMRA banged open, almost knocking off the bell above it. Mikoto cracked an eye in mild curiosity, but the liquid in his tumbler didn't move the slightest. He was used to such intrusions to the solitude as was caused frequently by the elephant stampede he affectionately called his own clan. The biggest offender, as it was now, was their vanguard, the one and only Yata Misaki.

He stormed over to the counter and Izumo began his chastising, as per usual, about possible damage to the property. Mikoto raised an eyebrow at the increase in his breathing rate as well as bruises beginning to form on the boy's knuckles and one elbow. Not many could rough up Yata.

The boy dug a manila envelope from one of the large pockets in his shorts and slapped it on the counter in front of the bartender with a huff.

Izumo's tirade stopped abruptly and changed to, "What's this?"

"I dunno. That weird girl from the other day found me and said it was for Mikoto-san."

"Weird…girl?" Izumo repeated.

"From the Green Clan."

—**Flashback—**

"_You outta remember that this place is here, Yata-san. It could be a great skate park for you," Rikio called to his friend as the shorter male rode his skateboard along a curved wall and ground down a rail to the floor where the blonde waited._

_Yata smirked at him. "Yeah, until they put the stairs in." He leaned back and peered up at the spiraling framework that would someday be a fancy office building just to make sure that there weren't any places he missed. "No weapons stash, though."_

_Rikio slumped in defeat. "I thought for sure that was a good spot."_

"_Come on, let's keep looking."_

"_Maybe we should quit for today, Yata-san. I'm getting hungry."_

"_Do you ever think about anything other than food?" Yata barked._

_Rikio wilted. "I can't help it. The weather is changing."_

_Yata opened his mouth to reply, but whatever he was about to say was interrupted by a loud growl under the folds of T-shirt at his midsection. Rikio looked down at him with big, hopeful eyes. Yata sighed._

"_Alright, fine…but we're coming back first thing tomorrow."_

"_Maybe before that you should ask permission instead of just waltzing into someone else's territory," an unfamiliar male voice said and the two pyros whirled._

_Behind them a man had somehow appeared without making a sound. He was young, probably about Rikio's age, but tall and wiry and ruggedly handsome. He leaned against the wall of the building they had just left, for all intents and purposes, looking like a construction worker._

_Yata snorted. "Who died and made you king?"_

"_I'm a loyal servant. The King you should be concerned with is the Green King who rules the territory you've got your noisy wheels and loud mouths in."_

"_What did you say?" Yata demanded._

_The construction guy strode toward them and as he did so, two more flanked him from the corner of the building. They moved forward until they were several yards apart from the HOMRA boys and looked to be having a standoff._

_Behind the leader, one of the other men jeered, "He didn't hear you? Maybe he's deaf and that's why he's so loud."_

"_What?" the younger boy snapped. "No, I'm not…" His frown deepened and he shouted, "Look, the only permission I need to get is from Suoh Mikoto!"_

"_Suoh Mikoto?" the leader scoffed. "That gangbanger? No wonder you don't have any manners."_

"_Don't talk about him that way!" Yata yelled. "You don't have the right, being under a King as weak as yours."_

_Their faces darkened and then the third of the men, who had up until that moment been silent, asked, "Can we take them now?"_

_The leader grinned, but said nothing and then it seemed like a green mist surrounded them and changed their shape. The construction clothes, hair, and faces all seemed to peel off into another person, blow away like dust in an invisible wind. The two followers didn't change much in build, remaining still average height, buff young men. Their hair became a couple shades lighter, their faces softer, and clothes more suited for street dwellers Yata's age._

_The one that changed the most was the leader. The rugged face smoothed out and became effeminate, the short brown hair grew to longer black brightened by neon green along the bangs and scattered throughout the choppy layers. The body lost quite a bit of its intimidating height until it was probably an inch or two shorter than Yata and grew breasts. The former would have made him smirk if the latter didn't cause him to blush._

_And her glare was locked on him. "What? Got nothing to say now, asshole?"_

_Fighting down his initial urge to hide behind Kamamoto and make him do the talking, Yata settled for a mere blush. (Not that he could have stopped it if he wanted to.) He wasn't trying to flirt with her. She had insulted him which he may have been able to walk away from without wailing on her, but she had insulted his King and that was unforgivable. _

_He jerked down the collar of his shirt then to show off the mark he had received when he passed the Red King's test and declared, "I don't care what you are. I'm Yatagarasu of HOMRA and it's on that name that I'm gonna beat you." His voice lowered into a growl and he added, "Nobody talks about Mikoto-san that way."_

_The girl snorted at how dramatic he was and then a smirk spread over her face in a way Yata's had failed to do so. "Well, Yatagarasu of HOMRA, I'm Hayashi Azami. And you can try."_

_Yata stepped onto his skateboard with one foot and prepared to push off with his other while Kamamoto fell into a battle stance behind him. The Green Clan members mirrored them. The tension could be felt as zaps of electricity between the two for several long seconds. But the moment was not disturbed by the Green Clan launching their aura, not Yata smashing his bat into one of them, not even Rikio erupting into flames._

_Actually, the explosion came from behind the Green Clan members. All formerly violent intentions were diverted to the sudden distraction. In the distance, a figure went dashing down the street and was closely pursued by a group of three more._

"_The Blues are on patrol today," the quieter of the Green Clansmen observed._

"_Scepter 4 _and_ a strain?" the girl grumbled. "Screw that! Let's split!"_

"_Hey!" Yata cried, quite put off by his target leaving without giving him so much as a second thought. One of the boys disappeared into a building, the other down an alley, but the girl took off down the street. Despite the protests from Kamamoto, Yata chased after her, proclaiming, "I'm not done with you yet!"_

_She cast him a mischievous smile over her shoulder and challenged, "Catch me if you can."_

_Granted, she was pretty quick on her feet and she did have a head start, but he knew she couldn't outrun his skateboard. He caught up to her as she was rounding the corner of a building and into another construction zone. He swung his bat encased in flames at her back, planning to pin her between it and the wall for a good barbecuing. Instead, though, the metal met concrete as she jumped suddenly, braced her palm on the wall and used it as a point to pivot around to where she could get her feet against the stone and kick off. She cleared his head and landed behind him, darting around the corner without being deterred at all._

_Her laugh floated back to him, "You'll have to do better than that!"_

_Yata grit his teeth and stepped onto his board, speeding after her. Even with her lead, though, he was on her tail again in no time and with a couple more powerful pushes with his leg, he overtook her. Grin on his face, he swung down with his flame-coated weapon. _

"_Got ya!"_

_Then she fell out from under his strike, diving forward at an angle that would have surely left her face less pretty if she hadn't expertly tucked herself in position to roll to her feet. Upon recovery, she leapt forward onto a metal drum and then upward to the railing of a walkway zigzagging up the side of a building in a 'Z' shape. It crossed in the back of his mind that it was like watching leopards on those nature shows, how they would jump and stretch to a branch like it was no effort at all and then climb with such a skill that humans so obviously lacked._

"_Almost! You're getting closer!" she taunted him as she continued her ascent—from one corner of the 'Z' she stepped across to the next railing zagging up and pounced up on the next landing._

"_You think those stairs will save you?" he demanded as he stomped on the back of his skateboard and propelled himself over the railing as well. He didn't clear as many stairs as the girl and he had to grab the railing to stop himself from hitting the building, but it kept him in the game._

"_God, I hope not! That would be pathetic!" she called down to him and then disappeared over the lip of the roof._

_Yata kicked his board into his hand, ran a couple stairs to where he could hop over the railing, and then repeated the process for the next level of the 'Z'. She was already halfway across a skywalk between two of the buildings and covering ground fast. If he wanted to catch her, he would have to pull some move that would slow her down for just a few moments. Pausing at the end of the walkway for a split second, he cut his foot down through the air with such ferocity that an arc of his red, burning aura left his being and was carried along toward her vulnerable back by the air current he caused._

_Without looking (she didn't need to; he made plenty of noise to announce the attack), the girl swung herself over the railing to the right and hung above the ground far below as it passed by. Yata paused in his pursuit again to sweep another arc at her as she swung back up. Without missing a beat, she changed her trajectory and caught the railing on the left side and hung there until the attack passed. _

_Yata twisted around from his previous kick and directed a third toward her that actually melted the railing. He assumed she'd fallen when her hands vanished, but in reality she had only climbed along the metal framework under the walkway and came up on the right side again, much to his frustration. He dropped his wheels to the ground and pushed off in a wave of heat._

"_Hold still!"_

"_Can't. If I stop moving, I die."_

"_That's the idea!"_

_Her laugh caught him by surprise. His threats clearly had no effect on her and she said, "Come on, HOMRA, keep up."_

_He skated after her, irritation at her mockery beginning to show in the bright aura trailing after him. The next rooftop over had crests and valleys like a chain of mountains and short walls dividing each section. While the girl had to work hard to keep her footing on the downhill slopes and climb up the inclines, Yata was used to flipping over obstacles and traversing rough terrain with his skateboard. He once again gained ground on her and swung his slugger at her head._

_She dove forward once more and wound up rolling down the roof and right onto a skylight that rotated to drop her inside. Yata stopped just long enough to watch her catch herself on the support beams and continue her jog out of his reach. She was going to make a jump to the next structure; he could see it in her movements. He did the same to build up speed for the jump. He went off a second later than she did and could see her as she aimed into the second level that was still open and dropped into a roll that took some of the landing off of her feet and lessened the pain of the jar._

_He hit the lower roof and he shot toward the opposite side. Her flash of green darted out of an open hole for a future window and onto the bucket of a bulldozer where she could drop to the ground. They were heights that a normal person would get injured jumping down, but Azami would roll it off like it was no big deal. Yata had to use an industrial sized dumpster as a midpoint ramp to reach the ground without splitting his skateboard. His wheels met the pavement and showered sparks and flames when he propelled himself into the crowds of the city after her._

_Azami was adept at avoiding people and using them as blockades at the same time. She hopped onto a bench and startled the occupants right into his path, then used a street lamp to get over a group of students, and stomped on top of a telephone booth so that the man inside also stepped into Yata's way to investigate. The skater boy, on the other hand, charged angrily through the torrents of humans and ordered them out of his way with little regard for manners._

_Yata spotted her again as she ran along a bus stop canopy and then jumped into a tree near a square with a fountain commemorating the construction of a bridge over one of the local water ways. She did a front flip over a dog being walked by its elderly owner and then got on the wall encircling the waters of the fountain by way of a handspring. Yata had to go around, but it was here on level ground that he again closed the distance to where he could follow her movements, almost gliding along the narrow wall until she stepped off._

_He thought she had just taken a plunge, but instead she skipped straight across the center of the fountain via fake lily pads or stepping stones of some kind. He followed her as she bobbed and weaved through groups of people and made her way to the bridge. She wasted no time in passing through the steel girders and rolling to her feet on the walkway at the water's edge below. Yata came next, using a passing barge as a midpoint to stay hot on her heels._

_Azami allowed him to get close enough to hear what she said through her trained breaths. "You shouldn't have followed me down here."_

"_Yeah? And why not?"_

_She smirked at him over her shoulder. "'Cause now you'll be stuck down here."_

_Her next move left him slightly amazed, mostly dumfounded, and definitely quite angry. To him it appeared that she scrambled straight up the stone wall like a bug cleverly escaping the certain death of his reach. In reality, though she may have been that clever bug, she had used some bricks that stuck out at equal intervals—an aesthetic choice for the designer, a convenience for Azami to use as hand and foot holds. Still she turned for the final parting word once successfully at a safe distance._

"_It's been fun, HOMRA, but I really need to get home now. I don't want to send you away with that angry look on your face, though. Here, a sign of good faith: that weapons cache you were looking for is in the building right next door to where you were searching. Look for the foreman I was disguised as earlier." She gave him a two-finger salute then and bid him, "See ya."_

_By the time Yata found a ladder up to that level, she was nowhere to be seen. There was no chance he could have missed seeing that bright green, even among all the people. She was already gone, disguised as someone else._

—**End Flashback—**

Izumo smirked. "You talked to a girl today? I'm so proud, Yata-chan."

"Wh—She—I…"

Izumo ignored his flustered bumbling and opened the package since Mikoto made no move to do it himself. The look of interest gradually fell to a deep frown as he flipped through what appeared to be cards and Mikoto raised his head in anticipation.

"What is it?" he wondered.

Izumo laid the objects back onto the envelope and slid the whole works down the bar to his King. "Have a look."

Mikoto raised a fine red eyebrow and glanced at the bundle, then pulled it toward himself for closer inspection. He understood why his friend's expression had suddenly grown dark. The cards were actually photos of a cheerful couple—namely Haruna, Emi and their very own Totsuka, Tatara.

"What is this?" Mikoto growled.

Yata spared a glance at the package he had delivered and the shots of the couple that had been scattered over the surface of the bar as his King tossed them down. They really weren't of anything interesting, just Tatara and Emi walking down the crowded street, swinging at the park, through the window of a café, browsing at the music store—all places they were known to go. The unnerving part was that someone was able to get multiple photos, and neither had noticed.

"A warning about Emi-chan?" Yata guessed aloud.

"Or a message. What could the Greens want with them?" Izumo inputted while he smothered the corner of a picture that had begun to smolder. Mikoto was not happy.

* * *

_**More information on this surprising enemy coming soon...**_


	4. Decoding the Mystery

_**Arigatou mina! Thanks everyone for continuing to come back to read our updates! You may have noticed the rating went up. This is because you can't *actually* have a story with Yata in it without seeing a cuss word here or there, but this story should still be appropriate for everyone on here :). Please enjoy.**_

* * *

The next morning Totsuka arrived at the bar at his usual time—early enough to make breakfast for Anna. It was typically long before the king and princess got up for the day. He was rather surprised, therefore, to see both Mikoto and Kusanagi awake, seated on the black, leather sofas. Being younger, Yata had fallen asleep next to Kusanagi, but the two adults had been awake all night, it appeared.

In as chipper a mood as ever, he walked up to the table between them, greeting, "As far as I know, these are prime sleeping hours for both of you. What are you doing awake?"

Mikoto said nothing. The redhead was clearly locked in thought, likely of something dangerous. A shot glass revealed as much. Empty except for the remains of an ice cube that had melted long ago, the glass was still in Mikoto's hand. Whatever water was left in it only moved when the king shifted his weight.

Kusanagi, on the other hand, held a picture out to the newcomer, saying, "Guess what the Green Clan delivered to us last night via Yata-chan."

Standing up from how he had bent down to peer at the king's face, Totsuka looked over the picture handed to him. Upon examination, he scratched the back of his head nervously. The photo was of Emi and him by the front window of a café. He remembered the date, and how he had borrowed a hat from Kusanagi that day to disguise his identity. As a plan, it had been weak from the start.

With a guilty smile, he admitted, "Well it makes sense for them to be upset. After all, isn't their king particularly strict about territory boundaries?"

Seriousness filled the air as Kusanagi caught what Totsuka was implying but wasn't willing to accept it. "What are you saying, Totsuka?" He questioned in a threatening tone. Of all the clan members, that boy should have been the one he could trust to respect the separation of kings.

"I was in the Green Clan's domain," he explained more frankly.

"Why?" The demand was harsh, cutting off the end of what Totsuka had said. The younger adult was taken aback by the unusual bite to the calm man's words, but he had good reason to react roughly. Yata was a different story. It could be expected of someone wild and uncontrollable to wind up across boundaries eventually. _He_ had also been on a somewhat sanctioned mission and was perfectly capable of defending himself. Totsuka was pretty much defenseless. Even more, he had brought along a helpless girl.

"I thought they might not mind if it was for a date," he revealed part of his reasoning with a weakening smile. It was worrisome if they minded that much.

Still trying to understand, Kusanagi pointed out, "There are dozens of cafés that are not in any other clan's territory. Why did you go to that one?"

Totsuka made a face like someone eating a lemon, which relaxed the bartender quite a bit. With someone like him around, it was difficult to be anxious.

"It was so hard to make the right decision," he mentioned, fussing like he had not wanted to tell anyone about the date or let it become a big deal. "It was for Emi's birthday, and I told her she could choose whatever place she liked. Apparently, that restaurant is where her parents first met, and they always go there for special events, and she really wanted to show it to me. How was I supposed to tell her no?"

By this point, Yata was also awake, and he responded with vigorous sincerity, "Say, 'That's where our enemy is'!"

Sympathetic toward his friend's story, Kusanagi rebuked Yata dryly, "You know nothing about women."

At that time, Mikoto added his input, "These pictures aren't all in green's territory." His finger was on one in particular that Kusanagi, in turn, picked up to look at more closely.

"He's right. This is just up the street from here," he agreed.

Yata grabbed the image hastily and squawked, "Wha—! Does that mean they were in our territory too?" He looked like he might rush out right then to remind them to stay off his king's turf.

Squatting down to look at all the pictures scattered on the glass, coffee table, Totsuka pointed one out. "This park is definitely in a neutral zone. We go there quite often."

"Then, we're back to where we started," the blond man stated, leaning forward in his seat. "Why does the Green Clan have pictures of you with Haruna-chan all over town?"

Totsuka raised a hand to his chin, taking on the proper pose for thinking. In this way, all four stared in silence at the table covered in photos. None of them paid much attention to how much time passed spent in this way. Finally, something dawned on Totsuka, even though it wasn't a clue to understanding the message.

"How long have you been doing this?" He asked. By the looks on their sleep deprived faces, he knew the answer without being told and stood up.

Yata followed suit, leaping to his feet with determination, "That's right! The only way to get information is to take it." He punched one fist into the palm of his other hand, a demonstration that his new plan was to 'ask' the Green Clan.

"Actually," Totsuka corrected with a laugh, "I was going to make breakfast."

"Eh?" The hot blooded teen was rendered speechless by Totsuka's behavior that was baffling to him.

Once the light hearted young man had disappeared into the kitchen, Kusanagi ordered, "Yata-chan, sit down." He waited for the boy to obey before explaining, "If the Green Clan sent these pictures to provoke us, to show up, fire blazing, is exactly what they'd expect from us."

"So are we gonna just sit around and let them enter our territory and stalk our members?" Even against Kusanagi's irrefutable logic, Yata didn't back down. He was also probably thinking he would like a rematch with the female in the other clan, this time on his terms.

The man simply ignored his question, speaking instead to Mikoto. "Maybe you should pay their king a visit, then. Just to talk, of course."

An amused, "Hn," escaped the king's lips before he asked, "What for?"

"Ask them face to face what the meaning of all this is," Kusanagi clarified. "Obviously, if they did enough research to find all these locations, they had to have noticed that Totsuka is harmless. What's their goal?" Granted, Kusanagi was telling Mikoto to ask these questions, but he was just as equally simply voicing what his mind was trying to work through.

Once again, it was the youngest who protested zealously, "No way are we asking them for the answer, right Mikoto-san? Not after they called you illiterate."

The redhead raised an eyebrow like he didn't remember that accusation being mentioned in the messenger's story the night before. He also didn't seem nearly as insulted by the put down directed at himself as did the younger boy. It sparked an idea in Kusanagi's head, however, and the blond quickly reached for the manila envelope all the pictures had come in. Sure enough, inside was a letter they had completely overlooked the first time. After all, what kind of mockery would be in asking someone if they could read when there were no words to be read?

Unfortunately, all excitement at having found the note was drenched by its contents:

_To the Third King, Suoh, Mikoto,_

_Thought you might find these interesting. You're welcome._

Having read these words aloud, Kusanagi sighed dramatically. That was of no help at all.

"'You're welcome'?" Yata repeated. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Some favor," Mikoto muttered, renouncing his temporary position of interest.

Feeding off of the general idea in Mikoto's vague comment, Kusanagi wondered, "Are we supposed to be grateful that they gave us advanced warning?" In reality, it felt as if the note were a taunting mockery, saying, _Even if we give you a head start, you won't be able to stop what's coming._

Mikoto closed his eyes. He didn't like puzzles. That was a game more suitable for the blue king.

Like clockwork, Totsuka finished preparing breakfast just after Anna came downstairs. She took her place beside Mikoto, clothed elegantly from head to toe in a red dress, and looked at those around her. They were the same as always; Misaki was angry, Izumo was thinking, Mikoto wasn't paying attention. The striking difference today was the photos of Tatara scattered about.

The young man in question made his appearance at that moment, as usual, several levels happier than the rest. "I figured you would be awake by now, Anna," he greeted, approaching them with two steaming plates of food. Setting them down before the king and the princess, he swept all the snapshots into a tidy pile to make room on the table for everyone to have food. Pleasantly, he requested, "Yata, come help me carry things, would you?"

Since he was basically receiving free food for nothing, the boy couldn't refuse. When they returned with the rest of the breakfast, though, all the pictures had been spread out again. Kusanagi was looking closely at the front and back of each one, particularly the one he held in his hand. Yata hardly noticed, simply bringing his food and drink onto the couch with him, so he wouldn't spill on the evidence.

Totsuka inquired about it. "You're really intent on finding a clue, aren't you Kusanagi-san? Why don't you at least set it aside long enough to eat?" His voice was cheery, frequently ending his words as if singing a song.

Kusanagi's response showed he was deep in concentration. "There's something different about this one." He waved the image in his hand like he had just discovered something huge but had no idea what it was.

To humor him, the friendly young man took the picture to examine it. Once again, it was the photo at the café. Other than the location being in the Green Clan's territory, it was hard to find any differences. They were all pictures of him with Emi, after all. Totsuka thought hard about this and then suddenly snapped his fingers as if he had thought of something.

"I've got it," he announced excitedly. "It's the hat! That day I wore a hat as a disguise. That's what's different, right? You can't recognize me as well?"

Blinking slowly like that was a dumb idea, Kusanagi snatched the picture back. "I totally recognize you."

Only seeming discouraged for a second, the younger asked, "Well what else is different? Other than that it's blurrier than the rest?"

"I wouldn't really call it blurry," the bartender corrected. "It's just focused on something other than you."

Instantly, everyone scooted closer to see what Kusanagi meant. "On what, then?"

His finger pointed to a figure clad in black, tucked in an alley near the café. The man appeared suspicious but wasn't really doing anything. A fedora and trench coat concealed most of his features except the camera that he held. None of them recognized him from anywhere, which made them all wonder why he was the picture's main focus.

His interest renewed, Yata set aside his food and started to look again at the ones on the table. He was curious about why Kusanagi had been looking at the back sides when he recalled that his mom used to write little notes on the backs of family photos to help remember details. No words were written on these, only the time stamp of when each picture was taken, printed by the developer.

"Do you think these dates are important?" He inquired.

From where he was kneeling, Totsuka could easily see the flipside of the café picture and remarked, "This one doesn't have a date." That was another difference. All the other ones did. That must have meant it was taken by a separate camera.

"Ah, I see," the blond muttered his understanding of the whole mystery.

Also having figured it out, Totsuka agreed slowly, "Yeah."

Even Anna looked like she followed when Mikoto described, "The Greens only took one picture."

Only Yata remained confused, and it frustrated him that they were leaving him behind with their bond through years of friendship. "What the hell are you talking about?" He demanded.

Kusanagi explained clearly, "The Green Clan only took this picture. That's why it's different. They took a picture of this man, which must mean he is the one who took all the other pictures. They must have acquired his camera while running him off. When they developed the pictures, they found all this and thought we would like to know that one of our own is being followed."

"Almost makes me glad I snuck into their domain. Otherwise, we may never have found this out," Totsuka pointed out in a tone that nearly sounded like a joke.

The glare Kusanagi sent his way ensured him he couldn't get off the hook so easily. Even so, the elder commented, "However, for once it may actually be beneficial that the greens can't ever mind their own business."

"So it is a favor?" Yata asked once he had caught on. He still sounded divided in his opinion, though, like his anger toward them would not be so easily discarded. "Somehow, stalking Totsuka-san and insulting Mikoto-san is a favor."

Knowing he would come around eventually, Totsuka smiled broadly at him, "Aren't you glad you didn't rush in there and set the place ablaze? That would certainly have been embarrassing."

"Could have ruined your chances with that girl too," Kusanagi mentioned teasingly.

"Huh?" The boy responded in shock. What an absurd idea! She was irritating and arrogant. Plus, she was the enemy. He didn't like her; he would know if he did. "Quit making shit up!" After saying that with such certainty, his bashful conclusion surprised them all, especially because it didn't match with the words he muttered, "She just pisses me off." Then, he rubbed the tip of his nose like it itched and turned his attention back to his food.

"Aw, so cute!" Totsuka exclaimed, "He's defensive! Who is this girl?"

"She's the messenger for the Green Clan," the blond revealed, and a single gesture to the photos on the table made it easy enough to guess how the two met.

Deciding they better not give Yata too much of a hard time about it, Totsuka changed the subject, "Okay, all of you, don't mention any of this to Emi when she meets me here later. We're gonna go ice skating." His eyes sparkled, and he almost started to glow when thinking of the fun they would have.

Yata gave him a disgusted look that showed he was about to ask what anyone would find enjoyable about going in circles in a place full of ice, but Mikoto actually spoke first, "Don't go alone."

"What?" Totsuka asked, stunned by the command. The king wasn't going to repeat himself, though, so Totsuka just laughed. "Don't worry, King. It's just ice skating. It's not like anything's going to happen."

* * *

The atmosphere was lively. Bubbly music played in time with colorful splotches of light that danced across the rink in random patterns. Since it was the weekend, the ice was crowded with young children, entire families, and youths skating hand in hand as couples. Falls were happening left and right from the inexperienced, and occasionally someone talented would dart by with an awe-inspiring trick.

In spite of all this, somehow Totsuka felt as if Emi was the only other person there with him. That had, in fact, resulted in quite a few near-crashes during which he had struggled to stay on his feet. He didn't mind, though, because when Emi covered her mouth to laugh at his clumsiness, he felt like the accident had been worth it.

Ever since he introduced her to Homra and the boys, it seemed that Emi had been making a few subtle adjustments. She kept her own style, of course, but it was becoming difficult to find a day when she wasn't wearing red of some sort. Today her beige sweater and dark tights were covered by a jumper with navy blue stripes. At the bottom of the frilled skirt, however, was an unmistakable red ribbon, and her hair was tied up with a dull, red bow as well. Totsuka really appreciated considerate gestures such as these, even if they were very small.

Neither one knew how to do any tricks on their skates, such as spinning or jumping. When Totsuka had tried to show off by skating backwards, he had run straight into the wall and lost his footing, nearly falling. Emi, herself, managed at best to skate on one foot for a couple seconds, with the other pointed directly behind her. That made them the type of lovey-dovey couple that could really do nothing more than skate happily in endless circles.

About halfway through open-skate, a young girl with pale skin and a red dress glided up to Emi. Looking up at her with unmoving eyes, the girl commented, "I like your bow."

Caught off guard, Emi almost pulled away. The girl had snuck up on her silently and directly, without wavering. Her expression was cold like the ice. Emi realized after the initial shock, though, that she knew this girl. At second glance, her rosy cheeks and eyes fixed upon the red bow made her appear more alive than normal. It seemed she also had no trouble keeping her feet on the slippery skating rink.

"Anna," Totsuka called out to her as he joined the two girls, "what are you doing here?"

"Mikoto sent me to watch you," she answered plainly, clearly unaware that she was likely supposed to keep an eye on him without being noticed.

Totsuka laughed even though he was frowning. He sent Anna? Besides the fact that Totsuka had specifically told him there was nothing to worry about, that he would be fine, and not to send anybody with him, why had he sent the youngest member of Homra? While she could blend in with the other children on the rink fairly well, and it was clear she at least knew how to skate, she wouldn't necessarily be any better off in a battle situation than Totsuka himself.

Then, another thought came to him, and he glanced urgently around the building. Was he supposed to look after her while they skated, or had she come with the whole red clan? That much fire in the building at once would for sure melt all the ice. Even just Mikoto or Yata alone would do that much. Upon looking around, though, he saw no hot-headed pyros sticking out like sore thumbs, and he scratched his head.

"Are you alone?"

Anna shook her head slightly. "Yo is here."

Of course, it would be Chitose. Anyone who thought logically would never send Yata to go ice skating. It would be an overreaction to send someone as strong as Kusanagi, which would give the enemy the impression they were afraid. Therefore, they had waited for the first person who looked like he could blend into this setting, and that happened to be Chitose. This time, Totsuka saw him across the ice.

"Would you excuse me for a moment?" He said politely and then skated over to the fellow clansman.

Making a rather graceful turn to come to a complete stop in front of Chitose, Totsuka feigned surprise, a little overly obvious, "Fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah, isn't it?" The brunette responded in kind; although, his fake oblivious reaction was much more believable.

"Did they ask you to do this?"

Now, Chitose understood more than Anna that they were to keep the nature of their mission secret—or perhaps, she understood just fine but chose to be forthcoming—so he spoke with caution, "Yeah, pretty much as soon as I got to the bar, Kusanagi-san slapped some money in my hand and said, 'Take Anna ice skating.'" He deliberately neglected to mention that the command had come right after the explanation of Totsuka being followed by an enemy, and that Kusanagi had hinted through a series of winks that it was the true reason they were going to the ice arena.

"I see," Totsuka unsuccessfully continued their transparent farce. "Watch over her, okay?" Then, he returned to Emi's side, a smile mostly covering a tiny, frustrated wrinkle on the bridge of his nose.

Other than that encounter, the guardians for the most part didn't interfere with the date. Chitose kept an eye out for suspicious characters and glanced Totsuka's way every once in a while, but he stayed generally occupied with flirting with girls. Anna glided along, always a little bit behind the couple, silent and intent. At first, that felt awkward, her observant eyes burning into every natural conversation that tried to start up. The feeling eventually dissipated, and the two returned to enjoying themselves.

At one point, they moved into the center of the rink, wanting to try something cool. They had seen others do it—hold hands, face to face, and spin in circles. It didn't seem too hard. Their first two attempts were fruitless, and Totsuka had to catch Emi one time as she wobbled on her feet. Still, they tried once more, managing to spin.

The first time around, both faces sparkled with joy, seeing nothing but one another as the rest of the world moved blurrily around them. On the second time, Totsuka briefly caught a glimpse of a disagreement breaking out on the far side of the rink. The third spin revealed one of the people involved in the fight was Chitose. The fourth time around, Totsuka saw red in their vicinity. Without first trying to determine if it was blood or fire, he let go of Emi and skated over to resolve the issue.

As it turned out, Chitose had just been hitting on someone else's girlfriend. Barely any harm was caused, since Totsuka was able to talk the other man down from a serious fight. The red he had seen was from Chitose's nose when he got punched. Other than that, the only injury was a twisted ankle caused by the fall from being punched, but they did get kicked out of the arena. Totsuka helped Chitose limp back to Homra, more hurt in pride than body, followed by the two girls who quietly talked about what they had enjoyed skating. Somehow, Emi didn't seem to realize the whole ordeal hadn't been one big coincidence.

Upon entering the bar, she had been mobbed before Totsuka could even get the depressed Chitose to a chair. Kamamoto shouted excitedly, "Haruna-chan!" and ran to meet her at the door. Others were less aggressive but were also happy to see her. Emi had to make the rounds, saying hello to Dewa, Bandou, and Fujishima as well, which could take some time. While she was busy with that, Totsuka went straight to the bartender and king at the counter.

"You'll never guess who I met at the ice skating rink today," he began.

Knowing that he already found out the truth, Kusanagi made no excuses, saying simply, "Don't fuss about it. We just wanted to make sure you would be safe."

Totsuka sighed dramatically as he sat on a barstool and laid his head on his arms in front of him. The lapse of form was momentary, however, ending when a voice rose above the background noise asking if Emi was going to stay for dinner. He looked around then, at the faces of all his friends, each one hopeful that the answer would be yes. Even Kusanagi looked pleased with the idea, since if the couple was here, they would have plenty of protection.

"You would like that too, wouldn't you Anna?" Totsuka asked. Now sitting between him and Mikoto, Anna seemed content, and he could only guess that ice skating with Emi had done that. She didn't answer, but she blushed just slightly.

Decided himself, he asked of Emi, "There's no reason why you shouldn't, right? Just because we can't skate anymore doesn't mean the date is over."

She smiled in return. "It's settled then."


	5. Interlude Part 1 by K

___**Hello everybody. It's good to see you again. Before we get started, here's just a quick note from us, the authors.**_

_**We wanted to give a big thanks to mst88, who is officially our first regular reviewer, as well as violetfireflies who has promised to make us famous in the near future :).**_

_**And, as always, even though we do not own the characters of the K world, we try our best to make them as accurate to the universe as possible. For example, since we are using the green clan in this story, two facts are currently known about them: 1) Fushimi dislikes them (Anime, ep 3 7:50). While that isn't at all unusual from his character, he seems to think of them as nosy, so we went with that. 2) K The First manga ch 1 describes their power as "The growth of transformation." It's hard to interpret what that means, but we'll do our best. I've heard there's more information about them in the Blue novel, but alas, no one has finished translating it yet!**_

_**If you're ever curious about where we dug up a bit of information, or doubt if what we've said is canonical, leave a review or a PM and we'll let you know where it came from. Now, without further ado, enjoy this chapter. It's basically an "Interlude," according to the style of the Red novel. We figured we needed one more upbeat chapter before getting into the plot. After all, this is a story full of happiness.**_

* * *

**DDR Duel to the Death**

Rubbing the styling wax between her palms to turn it pliable, Azami pieced out the shorter layers of her hair and then half-smiled at herself in the mirror, somewhat satisfied. _Good enough, anyway_, she thought; she didn't have anyone to impress today. Pulling a light jacket over her tank top, she entered the hallway and set out in search of orders.

She came across Nakahara Kazuki on her way to the Green King's office. The older of her partners, he was more confident with himself even if he was a little goofy. His unique sense of humor found amusement in pretty much everything even if he didn't express all of his inside jokes to others. It showed through well in his chocolate eyes and the way his hair shot out in all directions.

"Oi, Azami! Good job on that last mission! We got assigned to do recon today as a reward for disposing of the cache so quickly."

Azami grinned. That basically meant that because she got HOMRA to clean up the mess they got the day off. Well…_technically_ she was supposed to keep an ear out for anything of interest, but that didn't require much brain power.

"Guess that means back to the neutral zone," she said as if she meant business.

"Yeah, and I'll take the south side, if anyone needs to find me."

They had an understanding. Azami always went to the arcade and Kazuki would be visiting his girlfriend. While something productive did sometimes come out of these trips, it was mostly about getting some time to themselves. But if one of them didn't return, keeping tabs on them this way would give a clue where to start looking.

* * *

She had forgotten how frustrating it could be to walk like a normal person under the everyday push and pull of pedestrians. Usually she made her trips around the city in record time, but she was in no hurry today and with the Red Clan undoubtedly looking for the troublemaker she had delivered news about, she didn't need to bring any undue attention to herself. It took her twice as long to get to the street of her destination and it was there that the crowds thinned just a bit since most kids were headed off to school. She decided on the way home she'd take her normal route, consequences or no, and if HOMRA wanted to chase her down for questioning…well, she'd give them the slip just like last time.

She walked past an electronics store and then backed up a couple steps when an image on one of the TV's caught her eye. It was set to the news channel and was covering a story that involved an explosion of some sort and a criminal that had just been caught. _Ah, Scepter 4 made the arrest_, she discovered as she read the scrolling headlines at the bottom. _Maybe the same one from the other day?_ She smirked to herself and continued on her way. With that taking up the top stories, she wouldn't hear much more gossip and thus her day had just been freed up substantially.

Upon entering the arcade and greeting the shop owner by name, she walked to the far side of the room to where she could purchase her allotment of tokens. It was at this point that something caught her attention—the feeling that something was different and it felt oddly out of place in her mundane routine. She focused all of her senses, reaching out for any sign of what it was, and then it dawned on her. There was a familiar voice.

Weaving expertly through the machines and strings of young tykes attending a birthday party, rebellious teenagers who could care less about their education, and the occasional adult, Azami made her way to the opposite side of the facility. The voice was steadily growing louder with each step she took. Then, rounding a DDR platform, the source of the noise became obvious along with her recognition of the chestnut hair, marked skateboard propped against the machine, and the particularly foul language.

"Well, I'll be damned," she muttered to herself so that the people around her wouldn't hear.

There was no need to be cautious now; HOMRA had just come to her. The boy who had announced himself as Yatagarasu was playing one of three zombie games and, by the looks of the toy rifle pressed snugly into his shoulder, getting very close to beating his high score. Beside him stood his blonde companion from their first encounter and also another boy wearing a hoodie and sunglasses.

A shout of victory erupted from Yata and his friends as well as the surrounding spectators when the game ended and bright fireworks filled the screen with the neon yellow lettering "High Score!" Snickering under her breath, Azami worked into the back of the throng and, once the noise deescalated a little called, "Booooo!"

Yata whipped around at that and scanned the crowd for the offending person like a hawk looking for a field mouse to have for supper. When he identified her grinning face among the many onlookers, his eyes narrowed and he growled, "What the hell?" Azami stayed put while he stalked toward her and she didn't appear any more intimidated once he was closer to her, backed by his entourage.

"Mind toning the language down a little, Red? There are young ears present," she remarked coolly.

"If you're offended, why don't you leave? What are _you_ doing here anyway?"

"Oh no, you don't have to be concerned about my feelings, but I'm a regular here and I watch out for the smaller customers," Azami said as she ruffled the hair of a 6-year-old passing her by on the way to a racing game.

"A regular, yeah right!" Yata scoffed. "Why don't I see your name on the High Scores then if you're such a badass?"

"Do I really need to repeat myself?" She feigned a facepalm. "Oh wait, of course I do. I forgot you don't have any manners."

"What?" Yata scowled and she waved him off before he started shouting any more vulgarities.

"To answer your question, I got over zombies a long time ago. That's the only reason you still have the High Score."

Yata grit his teeth. "Why don't you get lost?"

"It's neutral territory; I can go wherever I want, whenever I want," she replied matter-of-factly, paused a moment and then turned to walk away. "Now I feel like it."

Yata glared and then suggested to her back, "How about we dual for it? Loser has to go home."

Azami turned with a smirk on her face. "I think that is an unfair competition."

"Yata-san," Kamamoto addressed him, pulling him aside.

"Kusanagi-san told us not to get into trouble," Bandou reminded him.

"What do you think I'm gonna do? Deck her in the middle of the arcade?" Yata snapped and whirled back on the female. "I can beat you any time at any game!"

"_Any_ game?"

"_Any_ game," he confirmed confidently.

Smirk still in place, Azami shrugged and made a "come" gesture with her pointer finger. Yata begrudgingly obeyed the order and she led him as if on a leash to the DDR machine she had passed moments ago. She leaned against it smugly.

"This is my domain now."

"Tch," was Yata's reply as he dug the necessary tokens from his pocket. "We'll see about that."

They took their stations on the dance pads and deposited the fee into the respective slot. Azami removed her jacket and tossed it to a bystander before she took the liberty of choosing the song.

"You're not gonna choose something girly, are you?" Yata pried.

"No, no, I have something _special_ planned for you," Azami drawled.

She scrolled over to the song selection and then stretched one leg backward to tap the arrows along with the buttons in a sequence the only seemed logical in her brain. After a couple seconds, the machine uttered a noise Yata had never heard before and the girl grinned as a new list of songs was displayed. She made her choice and then took her place beside him with deliberate movements.

Yata squinted at her out of the corner of his eye, trying to read her unusually blank expression for what this _special_ thing might be. Was she trying to plan something to embarrass him again? Was she hiding something she knew that he didn't know? He'd been looking too long. She caught his eye and smirked. He was getting tired of that expression, but he couldn't stop it from causing him to look away with a tint of pink on his cheeks.

"Problem, Red?"

"Shut up," he muttered.

The song started then, a slow tempo that wished to grow up to someday be like its big brother, Rave Music. Left, right, left, right—he felt like a soldier marching in place. His confusion showed plain on his face. Were they even dancing the same song? How was this hard? Yet Azami seemed to be deep in concentration. What was this?

Then the song slowed to a stop and Yata's opponent drew her arms up and then performed what could only described as a pre-battle bow to touch the last note on the up arrow. It was a ridiculous display that looked straight out of Mortal Kombat and would have been cool if they were about to battle to the death. Yata snorted. Was this for real?

All at once, the beat kicked up again and blew right past Rave Music, all the way to Hardcore Techno. So surprising was the change that Yata almost missed the first couple steps and had to speed up his movements to recover. His friends must have seen it because once he was on track, Bandou cheered, "You got this!"

The younger boy grinned over at him and then glanced at Azami to check her progress. She had been facing him as well and mistook the smile for being directed at her. She was momentarily caught off guard by how happy the gesture seemed rather than frustrated or just plain cocky and it caused her to miss a step. Her machine made a noise of protest and then Yata's expression changed to smug when he saw her falter.

She hummed to herself as she jumped ahead in the movements so that she could be even with him again. When she turned away from him to tap the right arrow, she slyly tugged her shirt down just a smidge. It wasn't enough to be obscene, but it was more than enough for the bashful pyro. When she hopped his way to tap the other side arrow and he caught sight of the smooth mounds bouncing with her rhythm, he tripped all over himself. Azami smirked as his machine made the same sound of protest and then hiked her shirt back into place.

Yata then tried to concentrate on his screen so intently he almost kept dancing during the pause in the music which nearly caused him to miss the show as Azami kicked her performance up a notch. When the music ceased, she leaned back against the grab bar and swung her legs out and around in a circle overtop that came to a stop on the wrong side of the bar so that she had to slide underneath to be back on the dance floor. A cheer erupted from a crowd of viewers that had gathered beside her and Yata frowned.

When the music blasted in with its sick beat again, Azami stayed on all fours, playing the song out in fast-paced floor work. She dropped to her knees, her feet hitting two arrows while her hand went back to tap a third. She rotated on that palm, tapping the coordinating spaces as she went and then switched to her dominant foot, the other staying airborne when she dropped back to hit two arrows with her hands.

Yata knew several breakdance moves, but b-boying was not exactly his forte. However, with the crowd going wild and his determination not to lose burning in his brain, he couldn't resist pulling out what he knew to keep pace with her. Timing it just right so that he didn't miss any notes, he threaded a leg through his arms, hit the pad, hopped backward at an angle to stomp two pads at once, then promptly dropped forward to press the other two with his knees. Now he was on the same level with her so he could do some fancy footwork of his own.

By then, though, the song was winding down. One final trick would complete the fast section which required them to press all of the arrows in rapid succession. Yata opted for some sloppy windmills, using the pressure of his shoulders to hit the pads. Azami pulled off some tight air flares.

They jumped to their feet at the same time and slid into almost identical steps, really getting into the flow of the song with arms swinging, hips moving with the beat, feet keeping time. The onlookers whistled and shouted praises. Yata definitely thought the song was catchy.

He didn't have much time to consider it, though. They needed to prepare their final moves for the end of the song. The routine finished with a long sustained beat and then a brief tap for added flavor. Yata slipped into a baby freeze, a position he had sort of accidentally learned to save his face when he fell off his skateboard and then decided to learn it for real when someone pointed out the similar appearance. He was quite proud of it. At the same time as this, Azami, on the other hand, plucked the beanie from his noggin, pulled it onto her own head, and dropped into a headspin.

The audience went nuts and Yata got this irritating feeling that he may have just lost. In one last effort, he twisted his body so that he could tap the last note with his hand on his own console and his foot on Azami's. She came out of her spin just in time to see the outcome and she gave him a surprised look.

"Did you just rob me?" she asked. It was an action that didn't count for any extra points other than between the two of them, but it made the pyro feel more accomplished in his performance.

"You gonna cry?" he mocked her.

Azami smiled. "Nah. That's a good job." She removed his hat, handed it back to him and blew a strand of hair out of her face whilst her eyes scanned the people behind him. "Guess neither of us has to leave."

Yata had heard the yelling in the back of his mind, but it hadn't registered with him. Now that she called his attention to it, he realized by the chanting of "Hayashi! Hayashi! Hayashi!" that she _was_ a regular there and he _had_ seen her name all over, but she wasn't under Azami. More importantly, behind him a parallel chant of "Yata! Yata! Yata!" was going on.

They climbed to their feet and for the first time he noticed some black discoloration on her shoulder. It wasn't a bruise, he realized as there was an identical amount peeking out on the other side. This girl had some ink. He eyed her carefully while she nonchalantly fluffed her hair back up and then diverted his gaze when she looked at his face.

"Yeah, well…" He searched for suitable parting words. "You just stay on your side and we'll stay on ours."


	6. Interlude Part 2

**The Magic Disappearing Food Act**

"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Magic Disappearing Food Act! I, Totsuka, Tatara, will be your host this evening," the light haired brunette gestured his arms widely to accompany the announcement of an event that already seemed like it would be ridiculous. He was clad in a plastic, faux top hat, and a silky, black and purple cape. The flimsy, magic wand in his hand completed the outfit that was obviously purchased at a bargain store, making him look like someone who performed at cheap children's shows. Then again, his main audience was a girl under the age of 10, so maybe the act was on par.

Anna was seated on one of the tall barstools sipping her strawberry milk. Her attention was focused on him, however. Tatara had promised he would show her something interesting. "Watch closely, or you might miss the trick," he said, "but not too closely since I'm just starting to learn magic." Sitting next to Anna was Emi whose eyes gleamed like she thought Tatara's show was already perfect, even though he hadn't even began yet. On the bar between the audience and the crew were a variety of food ingredients.

Indicating the ingredients before them, Totsuka explained, "These items are all clearly red. Go ahead and verify, if you'd like. There's no trick here. Even Anna can see this is the true color of these foods."

Playing along with his show, despite not knowing his intentions, Emi picked up one of the apples and rubbed its skin lightly. Just as he said, it really was an apple of the red variety—not that she really had ever doubted that—and the spices next to the fruit were also shades of the same color. Nodding to Anna, she signaled her approval. The younger girl just watched intensely.

Suddenly, Totsuka called across the room, "Are you going to watch, King? I'm going to make the red disappear."

Their leader lifted his head and raised an eyebrow. Totsuka's enthusiasm managed to intrigue him, but the description of the activity sounded rather childish. "Too much work," he replied, closing his eyes again. Even so, Totsuka was not dismayed. He continued to beam as he created suspense for his viewers.

Humming some foreboding music, he waved both his hands and the wand over the ingredients on the counter, covering them with his cape, before abruptly retreating, "Oh, I almost forgot! Before we get started, let me introduce my faithful assistant, over there coring the apples in preparation for the trick, is Fushimi, Saruhiko!" He definitely built up anticipation for his intro, even making a drumroll on the counter.

Emi applauded, as one should at one of these events when the assistant is mentioned.

Sighing dramatically, Fushimi asked, "Why am I doing this?" Nothing was forcing him to stay there, but he still looked like he only participated by obligation.

"Because," Totsuka insisted, "you're good with knives, and you like magic tricks!"

Scornfully, he responded with a click of his tongue and then muttered, "I like sleight of hand. Magic is for children." Nonetheless, he continued to divide the apples in four pieces and cut out the centers just as he was asked.

Ignoring the disdain, Totsuka proceeded with the show, ordering, "Assistant, demonstrate to the audience that the apples are still red."

Eyes full of boredom, Fushimi raised the slices he had cut, showing only the outside of each piece. Once the fact was sufficiently proven, Totsuka returned to his guise of performing magic. He moved his wand to and fro over different parts of the set and chanted foreign spells. A sweep of his cape over the counter again made all of the ingredients disappear with a loud crash. It was then revealed that he had really only knocked them all over in the bowl he was now raising above his head.

"You will now see the power of the Magic Disappearing Food Act! I will now go into the room where magic is made, and when I return, all this red you see before you will be no more!" Sounding more and more theatrical with every passing phrase, Totsuka slowly backed away towards the kitchen. Just before leaving the room, however, he quickly added in embarrassment, "Of course, making magic can take some time. Please be entertained by Fushimi-kun while you wait."

Then, he was gone, leaving his assistant with a blank look on his face. _Seriously?_ Fushimi thought. Behind his speechless outer expression of irritation hid a flash of scared shock. He hadn't prepared for such a thing. But mostly he just hated that his role as a minor participant had been replaced with center stage. Anna was so focused on Totsuka's trick that she wouldn't notice one way or another if Fushimi was even there, but the older girl was looking at him, eyes hopeful that he would perform in a way that would be equally enjoyable.

Clicking his tongue, Fushimi walked away. It appeared he had finally grown tired of the game and was abandoning it entirely. A few moments later, though, he returned, extending a deck of cards before the young lady. They were fanned out, face down, in a way that made it easy to select any one from the whole group. Surprised, she followed the arm up to look upon his face, even though he wouldn't make eye contact.

As if exhausted, Fushimi huffed, "Just choose one." When she did as requested, he brought the cards into a pile and instructed shortly, "Remember what the card is. Don't show it to me." He began filtering through the cards. "Say stop whenever you want." Once she had, he opened the deck and said dully, "Put it back."

The exchange was certainly far from lively. He continued to mutter blunt instructions, and she followed them compliantly without any indication that she would be entertained or impressed in the end. "Cut the deck," he grumbled, holding the pile out to her. She did as asked. Then, he took the cards and looked through them all. After a few pensive seconds, he chose one.

"Is this your card?" He asked Emi, holding out the seven of hearts.

Perplexed, she accepted the card, stuttering, "It…it is." After all, the trick hadn't been flashy or impressive at all. Still, somehow, he had managed to pull her card out of the center of 51 others. How did he know which one it was? Had he cheated? No, she had been very careful to keep her card hidden.

"How did you do that?" She inquired. "Would you show me again?"

"No," he refused brusquely.

"All he did was look—" Anna began a plain explanation, but Fushimi cut her off.

"Don't reveal others' secrets." Having said that in a severe tone, he put the cards down on the bar and left, commenting blandly, "If Anna knows, she can do the trick for you."

When Totsuka finally came back with a bowl in each hand, Fushimi had reverted to playing on his phone in his usual corner, and Anna had seriously stumped Emi with his card trick. The two girls discarded that quickly, though, when the lead magician set the bowls before them. They were excited to see his results.

Emi stared blankly at the food. "I don't get it," she admitted. Maybe it was because she knew a thing or two about cooking, but didn't he just peel the apples and fry them in some butter, sugar, and spices? The dessert before them was nothing special. It hadn't disappeared in any way. The slightly browned apples were obviously still there, unless he intended to end his trick by saying something cheesy like, 'It'll disappear as soon as you eat.'

Contrarily, the look in Anna's eyes was one of pure amazement. She gasped and examined carefully the contents of the bowl. The other boys who had been in the bar were suddenly interested by what had made their youngest member so excited. A couple of them came over to look and felt just as dumbfounded as Emi peering into the bowl of fried apples. It was nothing—nothing special at all.

Still, Anna descended from her stool. Taking the bowl in her hands, she hurried over to the couch where their leader sat, lazily watching cobwebs grow on the ceiling. "Mikoto, the red," she began, trying to get his attention.

Since he usually would for her, Mikoto lifted his head, glancing vaguely at the bowl she was holding out to him. "Huh?"

"Tatara turned it invisible," Anna explained, feeling like some magic must truly have been done to make all those red ingredients lose their precious color.

"Ah," the king replied at first, seeming no more impressed than the others. There was something different about his reaction, however, and a second later, he at least acknowledged the feat, "Yeah, he did."

Totsuka grinned widely. "See everyone? King and Anna get it. They're the only ones who appreciate my talent."

His delight was crushed shortly thereafter, when Mikoto lost interest with a yawn. Then, he scratched his head and lit a cigarette, telling Anna, "You should ask him if he can turn it back."

"Eh?" Totsuka was caught off guard by the odd suggestion. A tiny chuckle on the part of the redhead revealed his intentions in saying such a thing, though, and Totsuka protested, "Oi, King, that's mean!"

This was what they heard when three boys entered the bar that evening, returning from the arcade. The laughter from the rest of the clansmen and the oddity of the rarely heard chuckle of their King gained the attention of the three latecomers.

"What did we miss?" Bandou wondered aloud.

"Totsuka-san's magic trick," Chitose supplied.

Yata's mouth dropped open. "You're practicing magic now?"

"_Amateur_ magic," Kusanagi emphasized for them, meaning that they hadn't missed much.

"Hey now," Tatara spoke with his carefree smile on his face, showing he wasn't truly offended. "I impressed my main audience and that's what counts."

"What trick did you do Totsuka-san?" Kamamoto asked.

"Tatara made the red disappear," Anna told him, just as excited as her initial reaction and the blonde wandered over to investigate.

"You should do it again so we can see," Yata suggested.

Maybe his superior possessed the talent to make another problem of his disappear. Come to think of it…that song…what was it called? He wondered if he would be able to download it somewhere. It would sound pretty awesome pumping through the added bass of his headphones.

Why was he thinking about that? He shook it away in time to hear Tatara's reply of, "I would, but Kamamoto is eating it."

Yata walked to the bar and looked into Anna's bowl from which Rikio had snuck a piece of apple when the young girl wasn't looking. His brow creased.

"Your trick was making dessert?"

"I don't get it," Bandou echoed Emi's words from only moments before as he, too, inspected the end product over Yata's shoulder.

Tatara shrugged. "Abracadabra."

"You get weirder by the day," Yata stated plainly.

The elder chuckled and scratched the back of his head, inquiring, "So how was your day?"

Tatara was a little surprised by the suddenness of the change in Yata's expression which went straight to sour and he snapped, "Don't ask."

* * *

_**Thank you K. for adding the finishing touches to connect my chapter to yours! Hope this wasn't too corny. Tune in next time for the Magic Disappearing Phone Act :). Just kidding...somewhat.**_


	7. The Docks

_**I don't want to delay your reading any further by adding long author's notes like I did last week, so a short disclaimer and then on with it! "Good artists copy; great artists steal." This quote is the best thing ever to come from Apple, and yet, it itself was stolen from many artists before him, and likewise stolen by me. :)**_

* * *

Haruna, Emi was beautiful in the wind. Totsuka noticed this as he snuck a photo behind her back on his phone. That was the first time he had thought such a thing about a living being instead of trees, mountains, or night-time cityscapes. Comparing her to the things he freely called beautiful on a daily basis made him chuckle just slightly. She turned away from the pier to face him, cheeks rosy from the wind that was just a little bit colder than either of them expected. Her beauty was far greater than any of those lifeless things after all.

Truthfully, even though the air was a bit nippy right there on the beach, it was somewhat of a warm day. For the first time all week the sun was shining, and it had melted away what little snow remained in small piles. It felt like the beginning of spring; even though, any real hopes for hotter temperatures were way in the future. Because it seemed like spring, though, Emi wanted to be outside. They had heard the migration of humpback whales would be closer to shore this year than normal, so—knowing well enough that she would only see them by going out on a boat—Emi declared that she wanted to walk along the pier just in case.

The pier was in a part of town that was full of tourists. Little kids smeared their fingerprints all over the lenses of pay-per-use binoculars. Ice cream was three times as expensive as it should be—not that they would buy that this time of year. Gift shops lined the streets, overflowing with t-shirts proudly proclaiming, "I Shizume City." Obviously, it was written in English for all the Americans who wanted to take it home for their niece or nephew. First, they had to ask in their broken, textbook Japanese, "What size is this? Is ¥3000 a good price?"

Totsuka did not often come to the area any more than did most other locals. Still, it nearly felt like the right place for a date on the warmest cold day that week. Plus, with the large number of people around, they would be more difficult to follow. Several times he had readjusted the hat he had borrowed from Kusanagi again, nervously hoping it would conceal his face better this time. Of course it wouldn't, since it hadn't before. If they were after him, they would find him anyhow.

Worrying about such things had caught Emi's eye at some point, so he cast that fear aside for her enjoyment. What were the chances that today would be the day anyways? At the far tip of the boardwalk, Emi kept leaning out over the railing as far as she could. Instead of looking for whales, though, she watched the sky, awed by the seagulls that soared below the few, fluffy, white clouds. Then, she would stop, turn, and face him like she was doing now. Sometimes it was to make sure he was nearby, others to see if he was enjoying himself.

This time she saw his guilty smile after taking the picture and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

At the time, he had been thinking quite a bit, hadn't he? Looking at her through the screen of his phone, he noticed that her pale brown coat made the color of her hair even brighter. The blue sky behind her was so bold he couldn't remember it ever being that way before. Sliding his phone into his pocket, he smiled.

"Even though there are a ton of people here, it feels like it's just the two of us, doesn't it?" He responded cheerfully.

Finding no objections to his comment, she agreed. Then, she added, "I'm getting a little cold. Do you want to go check out one of the gift shops?"

He could picture her holding ridiculous souvenirs up to herself, quietly imitating other shoppers. Since that sounded fun, he didn't refuse. Between them and the main street, however, stood a threatening man in a suit too colorful to be a businessman. The top buttons of his shirt were undone in a rebellious way. A hat shaded his facial features, and—even though he didn't prevent anyone from passing—his stance declared he was blocking the way.

This was not the first time that day when Totsuka had been moved by paranoia to believe someone on the busy streets was there to attack them. Well aware that his impression of this man was also likely exaggerated, Totsuka still made sure to keep himself between him and Emi. She was on his left, and so he made a point to walk towards the left of the man without appearing on edge. If the mobster in the suit really was just some ordinary tourist, there would be no harm caused. He didn't want Emi to be afraid if it was nothing.

As they came closer to the man, his eyes met Totsuka's. Intimidated, the boy instantly looked away, pointing out a whole class of elementary school students wearing matching coats for his girlfriend to see. He tried to glance back to the man without being noticed and found that there was now a fiberglass baton in his hand, extended by his side at the ready. He knew for sure then that this man was one of the ones he had been warned against.

Not sure what he could really do about it, having left all his friends with real fighting skills back at the bar, Totsuka started to draw what little powers he had into the closed fist of his right hand. He had better be prepared to use it whether he could manage to muster something useful or not. Just maybe he could break free enough to run.

One thing that he was certain of was that they were being targeted. It was too late to keep the secret from Emi.

"Whatever happens, stay behind me," he whispered, "and run if I say so." Somehow, his voice kept its light attitude while his heart was racing. His right hand was getting warm, but not likely to the point of being able to cause substantial damage.

Emi almost asked why. Then, she remembered the night she met his friends and how obvious it had been that they were a gang. Since then, she had always somewhat expected a day like this to come. The guy with the baton definitely looked like a part of the yakuza. Mostly what she wondered was what her Totsuka—the one who couldn't even eat spicy salsa—would do about it.

The man didn't so much as move until the young couple was directly beside him. Then, faster than the blink of an eye, he swung his baton from above. If Totsuka hadn't been anticipating it, his skull would have been crushed for sure. As it was, he had no real plan to protect himself, simply hiding behind his own arm. The sound of impact reached his ears, yet he felt no pain. Between them was a thin, round film floating in the air like a shield that was glowing lightly. _Did I do that?_ Totsuka wondered.

He had heard of it before, the field of concentrated energy that could thwart dangers with no physical barrier, but will alone. He had seen it done before when the blue clan's sabers could be stopped by fire and bullets could be lightly tossed away. Never before that day had Totsuka thought _himself_ capable of the feat. Apparently, the mobster had also not expected it. For a moment, they both stared at the intangible, red shield as if it had changed both of their worlds. Such astonishment was broken, however, when the barrier began to give way.

Widening his eyes, Totsuka ordered, "Run!" They had to take their chance before the man swung at them again. When he fled but Emi hadn't reacted yet, he ended up dragging her along with him. There was no way he would let go of her hand until they were safe. First, he ran towards the left, since it was the fastest way to create distance between them and their attacker. About 50 feet down the road, though, two more unvirtuous men appeared amongst the crowd. They also were dressed nicely but their menacing demeanor betrayed who they really were.

Instantly, Totsuka skid to a stop, pulling Emi instead to run the other direction. The men shot at them. Neither one actually looked back to see the guns, but the sound was clear enough, as were the screams of people as the crowd scattered. The couple managed to lose themselves within the panicked sea of tourists and, thus, gained a lead on the yakuza. Realizing this, the mobsters stopped shooting and focused on their pursuit.

Totsuka really had no idea where he was headed. The direction they had been guided to run was definitely away from the neighborhood he was familiar with. At every intersection they passed, neither right nor left seemed more appealing than the other. Sometimes he chose at random; sometimes he at least tried to pay attention to the street names. When the three men started to catch up to them, he ducked into an alleyway with Emi. At first glance, that seemed like a bad idea. He had only thought, being younger—and therefore, more slender—they might be able to slow down adults with broad shoulders in a small space.

The alley opened up on the other side to an empty shipyard. Containers the size of semi-truck trailers and train cars were stacked in towers on every side. The ground was wet, covered with salt-water puddles. They both stopped, panting while they glanced in each direction. No one else was here. Neither witnesses nor helpers would be found in a place like this. Totsuka had a vague memory that they had crossed the border into the green clan's territory. Even that would make no difference if they weren't currently in the area.

"Maybe, if one of these is open, we can hide inside and let them pass us by," Emi suggested, trying to figure out how to open one of the containers. That was no use. They were all held closed with padlocks.

"There's a building over there," Totsuka mentioned, and they headed towards it to try there also. Their pace remained quick but not as hurried as before.

Detouring from the narrow pathway, the yakuza easily found another way into the shipyard. The three men were once again in front of the couple, blocking their path. In a protective stance, Totsuka stepped in front of Emi, even though his internal confidence was wavering. His right hand was fully charged with every ounce of fire power he had to drill tiny holes and make flying butterflies. What good would either of those do now? Nothing could stop the men from just shooting them.

Looking around for anything that could buy them some time, Totsuka remembered they had passed a 50 gallon drum of used oil. Still with Emi's hand in his, he grabbed his phone in his pocket in the other and slowly began to transfer his heat to it as they retreated. When they reached the metal barrel again, the boy let go of his girlfriend's hand to knock the drum over.

As old, grimy oil spilled out onto the ground, Totsuka told her to keep running. She hesitated to obey when it looked like he was going to stay behind. The smile on his face was so sad. He insisted, though, so she continued their flight without him. Totsuka simply stood there, hands in his pockets, smiling at the approaching mobsters.

"If you turn around now, we won't hurt you," he warned, a strange threat considering to this point he had done nothing but run.

They just laughed and kept coming.

"Look, you're going about this all the wrong way. We don't even know what you want from us." They didn't seem moved by his light-hearted persuasion. "King can be a reasonable guy, you know. If you have a message to send him, why don't you try texting? It's the modern world, after all."

Obviously, they were dead set on carrying this through to the end. Maybe they were working for someone else, and these were just their orders. It wasn't like Totsuka expected he would talk them out of it. He was just filling up time while he waited for them to get close enough for his plan. They nearly were within range of the spilled oil, and he backed up just a couple of feet to draw them further.

As soon as the first man stepped foot in the oil, not even noticing it was there, Totsuka chucked his molten phone at the ground near the barrel. Flame flared up, far bigger than anything he could have conjured alone, and it filled the entire gap between the two rows of shipping containers. With them burning, or at least pushed back, Totsuka turned to run. His vision swirled, blackening on the edges. Heavy footed and weak limbed, he tripped over the first step, falling to his knees.

_I've overdone it, haven't I?_ He wondered when he tried to stand and couldn't get his feet underneath him.

Whereas one of the three yakuza had been severely scorched, the others managed to mostly avoid the explosion. Once the initial amplitude of the fire had calmed to an ordinary flame, those two crossed over it without difficulty. If Totsuka tried to run now, he wouldn't even be able to stand.

Emi hadn't gone far. At the end of the row, she hid behind a container to watch what would happen. She gasped when she saw Totsuka fall—she could only guess from the power of the explosion. Fear seized her body when the mobster in the hat grabbed him by the back of his shirt and shoved him into a metal door. They were looking her way. They would come for her now.

Suddenly, an idea came to her: the police. The police would be able to save them. She scolded herself for not having thought of that since the beginning. With trembling hands, she began to search her pockets for her phone. Where had she put it? Finally, she remembered it was in her purse.

The men were walking towards her now, dragging her boyfriend's unmoving body along by his upper arm. Frantically, Emi just dumped all the contents out of her bag, letting them fall to the ground. Taking her wallet, she stuffed it in a pocket and then grabbed her phone and ran. Nothing else that she kept in her purse was worth risking her life over.

It was almost impossible to remember the three digit number for emergency police calls, much less make her paralyzed fingers dial them. When she heard the repetitive beeping sound of a call going out, she actually wondered for a moment if dispatch would even pick up. That was something ridiculous to doubt, yet she felt a relief when a lady's voice came on the other end.

"Three men are chasing me," Emi explained, trying to be as fast as possible in case they caught up to her before she could finish. "I think they killed my boyfriend. We're at the docks."

The dispatcher had a few more questions for her and then, as always, asked her to remain on the line as long as possible. At that point, she reached the building she and Totsuka were trying to hide in and felt a little sadness creep into her adrenaline rush. What if he really didn't make it? There was really no hope for her at all if she couldn't hide here.

Extending a hand to the doorknob, she was actually surprised that it turned, granting her entrance. She stepped into the old, dirty warehouse and closed the door behind her. Forklifts and broken pallets were scattered throughout the main room wherever they would not be in the way of any conveyor belts. Uncertain, she glanced around, trying to find a good place to conceal herself so that if the men decided to search the building, they still wouldn't see her.

Her choice was a disorderly pile of pallets that were leaning against one another, forming nooks in the shape of tents. She climbed inside one, hardly caring at all that the cranny might be full of cobwebs that would normally gross her out. Once she was settled in, her breath sounds echoed in the tight space, growing louder the harder she tried to be quiet. That was, however, an illusion magnified by her nerves.

She told the dispatcher then, "I'm in some sort of warehouse in the far corner."

The dispatcher acknowledged the location and then assured, "The police are on the way. Just hang on a little longer."

News like that was about the only thing that could put a girl at ease in the situation Emi was in. Such relief did not last long. Soon she could hear the voices of the men outside the building. She heard also the sounds of a car engine and the opening and closing of doors. There were no sirens. That meant this car belonged to the yakuza. They had brought in a new, third member to replace the one who had been burnt, and this one had the getaway car.

Urgently, Emi whispered into her phone, "They found me. They found the building."

The dispatcher responded calmly, "Stay as quiet as possible. I'll be right here with you."

With a clang that resounded throughout the whole building, the door to the warehouse swung open. There was a sound of something heavy sliding across concrete, and through the gaps in the pallet she could barely glimpse its source. Her boyfriend's body—Totsuka's body—was lying in the middle of the floor. She couldn't help but let out a small whimper. Then, she covered her mouth and closed her eyes. She had to remain perfectly still and completely quiet.

The three men in suits began kicking things over, searching high and low for the young lady. It would only be a matter of time before they found her; she knew that. Time could be just what she needed for the police to arrive. That was something to hope for. Slowly but surely they drew ever closer to the pile she was hidden in. Apparently, they were good at this task, methodically combing the whole building in a way that no matter how she tried to sneak out, they would see her from every angle.

She waited, therefore, for the inevitable end to come like a sheep in the slaughter-house, with her fingers crossed and her eyes pressed tightly closed. It was the new man who found her. She didn't recognize him with his bony face and nose that had been broken quite a few times already. He held her on her feet in a way that prevented her from moving her arms at all. The rough way he had pulled her from the hiding place had knocked the phone from her hand, leaving it under the overturned pile of pallets.

She tried to break free; she wanted to run to Totsuka's side. The man prevented it, however, hardly making it look difficult to restrain her at all. He smiled. It wasn't the warm, reassuring smile Totsuka would give, but rather something evil, creepy. Nothing stood between her and the fate they reserved for her any longer. Desperate, she planted her feet and shouted when they tried to force her to leave the building. Her protests were to no avail but to delay what was coming. Three men could easily force a young lady to do whatever they pleased. Later, maybe, she would be grateful that all they wanted from her was that she get into their car.

Still, she did her best to make the task difficult for them, even raising her voice a little to insist, "Let me go!" The results for her efforts were bruises where his fingers gripped her arms and some ripped out hair.

The mobster in the hat took his seat behind the wheel, and the car drove away with Emi squished between the other two in the backseat long before the police ever arrived to find Totsuka alone in the warehouse.


End file.
